Aids day turns into chaos

LYDENBURG – A World Aids Day celebration was recently held at Mashishing community hall.

The event was sponsored by Dwarsrivier Mine, that also handed out some 50 food parcels to needy community members within the various extensions.

House visits by the local Aids council were also paid to residents and free condoms were distributed. The theme for this year’s World Aids Day is “Get wise, get tested and get circumcised”.

About 500 people attended the event.

All hell recently broke loose during the World Aids Day celebration held at the Mashishing Community hall.

The mayor of Thaba Chweu Municipality had to apparently call on his “lapdog” for assistance, when agitated community members refused him entry to the event.

Not only did Cllr Michael Ncongwane show up more than three hours late for the planned celebration but, according to community members, he started to fight with residents.

He then apparently called on the police for assistance to gain entry to the event but his request was allegedly ignored.

Ncongwane then called Mr Jacob Phala for help. Phala and Messrs Surprise Maebela and Valley Mogale arrived on the scene. Phala, well-known for carrying his personal firearm on his person, forced the gates to the hall open while elderly women screamed, “Gun, gun!”

Ncongwane was supposed to give the key address for the ceremony but couldn’t even make it to the hall’s doors before his body guards had to flee before angry community members.

Chairs went flying, The main sponsor of the event, Dwarsrivier’s gazebo crashed to the ground and eventually Ncongwane had to retreat back to his black Mercedes and drove off.

According to some of the community members who witnessed the whole debacle they were sick and tired of Ncongwane not attending public meetings about service delivery. “He never bothers to pitch for IDP meetings or address the community regarding service delivery issues. As soon as there is an event, however, he attends and gives glorious speeches,” one agitated community member said.

“This Phala has still not been suspended. What does he do at TCM? Is he the mayor’s personal protector? Is he his lapdog? Or is he TCM?” another asked.

It, however, seems that Ncongwane is not the pick of the litter at the moment and that residents are getting fed up with the lack of communication and service delivery.