Dube Village residents copycat services protest
Residents in Dube Village have staged a protest similar to the one staged by Etete residents last week.
Just two weeks after their neighbours blocked the R102 over housing and services non-delivery, Dube Village residents have followed suit.
A group of residents from the small village in Groutville blocked the road with trees and stones and pulled down guard rails early on Tuesday morning.
Police re-opened the road after a few hours, allowing cars through at their own risk. Trains and taxis from the area were suspended and passengers were ferried to Shakaskraal in buses from Stanger, Gledhow, Charlottedale and Groutville.
According to the police, the protesters’ list of demands is similar to the Etete community – housing, electricity and sanitation.
KwaDukuza municipality media liaison officer Bonginkosi Nhaca confirmed residents had begun an “illegal” protest early this morning.
“As it stands we do not know of anybody representing the community. Nobody has come to us with any grievances yet so we can only assume these are faceless elements.”
Mayor Ricardo Mthembu was due to hand over the Dube Village bus route in the area on Tuesday but Nhaca said it was doubtful the event would go ahead.
Meanwhile Etete residents are waiting with baited breath for their housing project to start, which they were promised by MEC Ravi Pillay would go ahead soon.
Community spokesperson Mxolisi Dlamini said the project steering committee had been chosen by excited community members and will start their work on Monday September 2.
“The committee is made up of residents from wards 7 and 20 and they will oversee all the work done by the KwaDukuza municipality and hired contractors to make sure that everything is above board and up to standard,” said Dlamini.
* KwaDukuza municipality has accused the Courier of “misrepresenting facts and reporting unfairly” on the housing protest.
In the August 16 edition, under the headline: “Angry community promised houses”, the Courier reported that: “(KwaDukuza mayor) Mthembu was escorted into the area on Monday under police guard and refused to get out of the police vehicle
until his safety could be guaranteed. Residents started to shake the car and threatened to turn it upside down and break the windows if he did not address them.”
Municipal communication director Sifiso Zulu claims that Mthembu did not board a police vehicle on that particular day and “the Mayor’s vehicle was in no way touched or shaken by the protesters as reported.”
However Courier journalist Nokuthula Ntuli stands by her story.
“I was in the crowd when the mayor arrived. They were angry and surrounded the vehicle, shouting and threatening to turn the white twin cab van upside down if he did not get out. The police moved the crowd to a safe distance. It was only
then that Mthembu climbed out and addressed the protesters.”
