'No pre-paid water'

Residents from Pimville and Klipspruit last Thursday marched to the councillor’s offices to hand over a memorandum of complaint against prepaid water to Vusi Shongwe Ward 25 councillor and Lizzy Mabaso Ward 22 councillor.

Many residents young and old marched from Musi Comprehensive High School to the offices only to be angered even further when the two councillors failed to receive their memorandum but sent a representative to accept the message.

Mcedisi Dilata, the protest organiser and a resident, said he wasn’t the only one who was angered by the councillors not being there to accept their memorandum.

“We organised a community meeting on Tuesday and they didn’t honour the arrangement.

“We cannot go somewhere else to take our grievances, they need to take our issues forward because they represent us as the community,” Dilata said.

Mabaso said she was not at there to receive the memorandum because she didn’t know about it and she was on sick leave.

She said the first time the community had a march concerning the prepaid water issue, she held community meetings and thought the issue had been resolved.

Mabaso said she didn’t attend the meeting on Tuesday because it was a Ward 25 meeting and she serves Ward 22.

“I only attend meetings that involve the ward that I represent,” she said.

“I will not respond to individuals that arrange marches illegally.

“Proper consultation was done with home owners that had no problems with prepaid water installations.

“Meetings were held and 95% of the community wanted the development,” said Ward 25 councillor Shongwe.