EDITOR: The recent protest action at Kelso during which the R102 was blocked, needs to be put into context.
One cannot condone unlawful conduct or the willful destruction of property. The damages to the road and inconvenience caused to residents is unfortunate, but the real tragedy is that it could easily have been avoided.
This is a classic case of an uncaring and irresponsible local government pushing its residents to the point of conflict.
Seven weeks ago, a section of the informal settlement in Kelso was disconnected from the electrical supply to which they have been illegally connected for the past decade.
This arose from the removal of a transformer that was no longer in legal use, and Eskom’s ongoing efforts to rectify illegal connections. Illegal connections pose a safety risk, cause failures in the network and cannot be sustained as a norm.
I led a delegation of residents to the municipal offices to hand over a memorandum in which the municipality were requested to provide assistance with a legally connected system, and to provide written evidence of their commitment to implement the long outstanding housing project (14 years without visible progress).
The mayor, Thabani Dube, met with residents to confirm these issues and gave assurance that he would return to provide them with answers. That was five weeks ago.
Engagements took place with Eskom who gave their commitment to providing a bulk metered supply, provided the municipality placed the order. The landowner also gave his permission for an interim electrical system to be implemented, pending the construction of the houses.
The reticulation and billing to residents can be implemented by way of prepaid units. It is a system already being used in Umzinto.
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I emailed, texted and spoke to the mayor on numerous occasions to encourage him to return with the answers. I also alerted him to the reality that failure to return was likely to provoke protest action.
He did not return with a response and the residents decided to close the Humberdale road to traffic, until he returned as promised. They did this with the consent of the owner of the property.
The Humberdale road is on private property and the owner has allowed access over his property on the firm understanding that the housing project will take place. He has now formally withdrawn that consent in light of the failure by Umdoni (represented by the mayor) to fulfil their long outstanding promises.
There was never an intention on the part of the protesters to interfere with the R102 and the plan they adopted was to confine the protest to the private Humberdale road.
Emotions spilled over in the early hours of the morning and the protesters decided to close the R102 because they believed it to be the only practical option available to them to get the municipality to engage.
The mayor did not return but sent the ANC Chief Whip to address the protesters.
The situation could easily have been avoided if the mayor had returned as promised and gave a response on what Umdoni could or could not do for them.
The solution to the electrical supply and housing on Farm Abrams is straightforward. It is no different to the maintenance of public infrastructure like roads, drainage and streetlights.
All it takes is an honest commitment to public service, budgets aligned to service delivery and officials and politicians who are prepared to work for the generous incomes they are paid.
COUNCILLOR EDWIN BAPTIE – WARD 10
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