Motion to police noisy events has racial undertones, says council

THE ANC-led eThekwini council has once again snubbed residents by refusing to listen to concerns raised by local ward councillors on behalf of their constituents at a meeting of council regarding the city granting permission to host noisy events in public open spaces.

Councillors Martin Meyer and Shaun Ryley took the matter of noisy, disruptive events which have plagued a wide section of the Durban community over the past year, to council in an attempt to find a solution and with the misguided belief that it was in line with Durban’s goal of becoming a ‘caring city’.

The men submitted a motion to council to ensure that noisy events in spaces like Peoples Park and Curries Fountain were not allowed to continue after midnight, and that Metro Police be equipped to deal with such noisy events.

The disruptions caused the by events which have at times continued till 6am on a Monday, have been widely reported in the media and Ryley pointed out that his seconding of the motion showed how widespread the problem is. He said he was often inundated with phone calls from his ward in Durban North when such events are held.

Meyer, who represents Morningside and Greyville, said he had put forward the motion forward after being requested to do so by residents of the ward he represents. “We made it clear that our residents were not against concerts, but are merely requesting that they are respected by allowing them time to rest. The DA would encourage more of these events if residents could rest assured that regulations and by-laws passed in council would be strictly adhered to and adequately enforced,” said Meyer.

However, the men were disheartened when the ANC refused to listen to the concerns of the residents of the city.

“In a bizarre defense of their opposition to the motion, the ANC at first tried to deny that there is a problem by pointing out the bylaws, and then launched on an attack in which it was claimed that there is a racial undertone to the complaints and the motion. Not to be outdone, the MF jumped on the bandwagon to claim that the motion only serves to protect a certain income group,” said Meyer.

He said the DA rejected the insinuation that residents of the affected wards are racist and elitist, and said it showed what little knowledge the parties had of these wards.

“Ward 27 is one of the most multi-cultural wards in the city, and encompasses a wide socio-economic spectrum. Residents of all races and income brackets are affected by the city’s eagerness to give permission for concerts to continue until early mornings. The ANC has once again shown that the wellbeing of its residents are not high on its list of priorities,” he said.