R1.6-million! This is the price tag for the bodyguards who had to protect the mayor and municipal buildings when the community of Ogies and Phola went on a rampage over land issues last year.
Spokesperson for Emalahleni Local Municipality, Mr Kingdom Mabuza said they have identified that the money paid to the service provider to protect the executive mayor and municipal buildings and assets has been identified as irregular expenditure and they are investigating the matter.
On September 28 last year, community members invaded land that belongs to the local municipality, South 32 – and Glencore Mines.
They were not pleased with the way the RDP houses were allocated to beneficiaries and wanted the housing waiting list to be disregarded.
To keep the Executive Mayor of Emalahleni safe costs tax payers R1.6-million.
Negotiations were fruitless. The community showed their anger and threw a petrol bomb into the satellite municipal office in Phola and damaged 50 newly built RDP houses.
In a last desperate attempt to remove the people from the land, the Red Ants were called in to clear the illegal land invasion.
On October 4, after a meeting with Ogies SAPS, property owners and the Red Ants the community marched to the Executive Mayor, Cllr Lindiwe Ntshalintshali’s house in Phola and blocked the street with waste bins. Rubbish was scattered all over the area. Stones were thrown into her yard and tyres burnt in front of her property.
This necessitated protection for her, her family and her property as well as councillors homes in the area and the municipal building.
Read the FULL STORY in the WITBANK NEWS out today
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