Vryheid councillors dumbfounded about why R69 protests persist
"The unfortunate thing about what they are doing is that no one knows what more they want."
Despite intervention from provincial government, the protests that have seen the R69 being barred to motorists have continued. Motorists travelling between Vryheid and Pongola, had to seek out alternative routes on Wednesday last week, following a protest led by members of the Ward 2 community that saw the road near the Louwsburg turnoff being shut down completely yet again.
“The unfortunate thing about what they are doing is that no one knows what more they want. The Premiers office was called and he delegated the MEC for the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nomsa Dube-Ncube, and MEC for Health, Sibongiseni Dhlomo, to come and hear their grievances,” said Cllr TZ Nkosi, whose ward constitutents had barred the road, demanding electricity.
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“The MEC for COGTA introduced the contractor that would be helping set off the project to give electricity to both the Ward 1 and Ward 2 communities. The people who were there seemed happy. I don’t understand what the unrest is about now,” said Cllr Nkosi.
Cllr Nkosi said that he suspected that ‘politicking’ might be to blame for these rampant and unnecessary protests. The councillor of Ward 1, Mbusiseni Ntuli, said that he too, was confused as to what the recent protest was about as the MEC for COGTA had addressed the grievances and introduced the contractor that would start working in the communities.
“I think that these continuous protests are now being led by people who just want to create unrest within the community. The people’s demands were heard and when the MEC held the meeting at KwaFuduka, she brought with her the people that would be working on electrifying their homes. They were there,” said a baffled Cllr Ntuli.
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Cllr Ntuli was adamant that the members of the community had known about the provincial government’s intention to supply electricity prior to having the first march.
“I have been keeping them in the loop at every step, from when I wrote the letter to the MEC, right through to when I got a response. I held meetings and ensured that they knew what was going on, so I do not understand what these protests are about,” concluded Cllr Ntuli.
