Some ward councillors have had a difficult year dealing with angry community members. This, according to some, has continuously put their lives in jeopardy.

At times when services are not delivered with as much urgency as residents need, councillors, who often live within the same communities, end up in the firing line. This issue was recently raised by Ward 105 councillor Tefo Raphadu at the 45th Extraordinary Council Meeting of the City of Johannesburg.

Read more: Alexandra residents urged to unite at community dialogue

He noted before the speaker of the council that the executive and mayoral committee are getting risk assessments and security, but councillors are not.

“Councillors in the main, sitting in this house here, do need that security assessment to be done. Councillors are attacked daily, and I think councillors are getting the wrong end of the stick, which is very unfortunate. I hope I am raising this for the rest of the councillors who have to wake up and deal with angry community members out there.”

Safety concerns among councillors have been a growing issue, even in Alexandra. Ward 108 councillor Deborah Francisco told Alex News that her safety has been jeopardised several times.

She said angry residents, often led by vocal members of other political parties, would come to her house. “The community here protested against me; it all started with me. It was because of a service delivery-related issue, and if I spoke, I would get verbally attacked.”

She said she gets insulted throughout Alexandra. “When I chose to become a councillor, I did not commit a crime.” Francisco is not the only councillor to have experienced this hostility.

Also read: Gauteng Government reaffirms commitment to building safer communities

Just last month, Randburg Sun reported that Ward 102 councillor Lucinda Harman resigned from her post after facing threats and intimidation. Her ward covers, among others, Randburg CBD.

“I had to decide when to get out. I think from all the nastiness, the hostility, the attacks on my life, that was where I actually checked out. I realised that I didn’t sign up for being attacked and being the centre of some target politically,” she said.

Reacting to Harman’s resignation and concerns, Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz said councillors have the same experience.

“We all have different coping mechanisms. But we also do the best we can with what we have got or can get. It would be great if we could do more, quicker, but that is not how the city is currently set up,” she noted in her ward 81 group.

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