Ward 5 residents protest against sewerage system construction

Concerned residents in the Bhokwe area (Ward 5) have voiced their objections regarding the construction of a sewerage system, which started in August last year.

The residents drafted a memorandum and staged a protest last week, after numerous attempts to meet up with the company and stakeholders involved in the construction. Community members claim that the construction is being carried out under bad conditions, with no safety precautions. Bhokwe residents are also saying that the skills of local people are not being harnessed in this project, as the company appears to be hiring people from other places (outsourcing) instead of employing people who live in the area. The memorandum demands that the construction company must follow all the rules in the tender documents, in terms of local labour.

The memorandum further complains that the project is not safe, since the construction company digs huge holes (trenches) and never fills them up again. Another grievance is that there is no fence around the construction site, which constitutes a hazard to people and vehicles. The community would also like new management, since the current one simply ignores them; they have written to the company several times, but they either get no response or empty promises.

Community member Bongani Mbatha commented that all they are asking for, as upcoming entrepreneurs, is fair sub-contracting. They want plant and skills to be utilised in a ‘good manner’ by upcoming entrepreneurs within the area so they can learn and grow.

It is said that all the stakeholders, ward councillor and AbaQulusi speaker will have another meeting next week Tuesday to discuss the memorandum with the community, as they are aware of the grievances.

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