Ward councillor attacked by angry residents

Controversial ANC ward councillor Arthur Sampson had to be rescued by police and traffic officers after he was attacked a group of angry residents who also vandalised his home.

Residents of the area were up in arms over the fact that their electricity was disconnected by the Randfontein Local Municipality without them having received notices to that effect.

According to residents, they have numerous other issues with the councillor, and that the disconnection of their electricity was the last straw.

They say that their anger emanates from the fact that they were apparently promised by Sampson that their electricity would not be disconnected even if they did not make payments to the municipality, simply because he is in power in the ward and they had voted for him.

The Herald spoke to community spokesperson Peter Allard who says that their grievances arise from the fact that whilst campaigning for the last municipal elections, the councillor urged them not to pay their electricity every month and that they would receive it for free if they voted for him.

The residents all live in a municipally-owned block of flats in the area, where their rates allegedly are set at R500 per household.

“This man told us not to pay for our electricity all these years and we did exactly that.

“Now we are faced with a situation where the municipality has disconnected our power regardless of the fact that we were acting on Sampson’s instructions,” says Allard

“Sampson is nothing but a liar and a cheat.

“He made us do this and now we are sinking in debt and for that, we want him out of office,” says Allard who ads that they have tried engaging with Sampson, but to no avail.

“He has been very arrogant in his dealings with the residents.

“He even went so far as calling us dogs.”

The Herald has contacted Sampson who says that he did not make any promises to anybody.

“There must be proof of this.

“There is no way I can stand in front of those people and promise them this or that.

“I work on instructions coming from the Speaker’s office,” says Sampson who adds that Allard is bitter and simply wants to be a ward councilor, hence the commotion.

Meanwhile, residents of the area say that they are willing to meet with the relevant people within the Randfontein Local Municipality to discuss ways to settle the account backlogs.