Mayor expresses ‘deep disappointment over protest march that turned violent’
Asked about the high rates in Endumeni which last year saw rates soar by over 120% in some cases, he said the matter was being taken up and Council was looking at ways to offer rebates to business owners.
Mayor Richard Mbatha has expressed his deepest apologies to residents – and especially the business community – following Wednesday’s unprecedented march in central Dundee. Talking to the Courier on Monday, he said ‘there was a hidden agenda at work as many who marched were ANC members who have their own reasons for wanting the Council to fail’.
”It is so sad to see the destruction that took place. We have just passed our land usage policy which means we can vigorously market our town… but who will invest after what we saw?”
He says he is yet to see the memorandum the marchers handed over to a representative of the Premier’s office. “I believe their deadline for a response is June 27 – how can we respond if we have not seen the memorandum? Maybe they (the Premier’s office) will also not respond by then, and then what will happen?”
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He said he is willing to meet the organisers of the protest to discuss the issues. “When the organisers applied for permission to march, according to legislation with the SAPS, they indicated the march would be peaceful and the reasons for the march were their unhappiness with settling the Farm Doctor land claims. However, the march was not peaceful and there were – what I understand from reading the Courier’s website – many other issues.”
He said the IFP that co-governs the town with the DA and EFF had completed many unfinished projects left behind. He cited the electrification programme, the pack house (for vegetables) on Tandy Street, community halls in Stratford farm and Craigside, finishing of the Wasbank Stadium and completion of the McPhail Road upgrade. “Yes, there is jealousy. People who are running small businesses here and who received tenders – some of which are now subject to an investigation – were seen joining the protest. There is an undercurrent.” He said the new capital budget was R45-million while R1-million (up from around R145 000) had been set aside for youth projects for bursaries, entrepreneurial courses etc.
Biggest protest action ever in Dundee?
Regarding the delays in housing in Forestdale, Craigside and Dlamini Village, Mayor Mbatha said the tender process had been completed “with no loopholes” and the contractor should have started on June 6 but the KZN Human Settlements Department had pulled the plug by cancelling the agreement with the Municipality. The Department said Endumeni had “completed a flawed tender process” and the agreement was cancelled.
“Clearly, this was done to undermine us by the MEC of COGTA who is from the ANC. They do not care about people.” Turning to Buffalo Coal agreeing to pay R10-million to the municipality, Mayor Mbatha said the Council had resolved to spend this on upgrading sports facilities in Glencoe, building a crèche in Stratford farm and for informal traders’ shelters.
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Asked about the high rates in Endumeni which last year saw rates soar by over 120% in some cases, he said the matter was being taken up and Council was looking at ways to offer rebates to business owners. “As for Farm Doctor, that is a Land Affairs issue in Pretoria. The municipality helped by providing an office from where the claimants’ details were verified. I drove committee members down to Pietermaritzburg myself earlier this year. As far as we go, this issue was solved in March for the around 1200 claimants.”
Asked about claims he is corrupt, Mayor Mbatha said “I am clean. Yes, there is an investigation at the municipality which will expose wrongdoers and these bad apples must be rooted out. We are here to work for the people, not to steal.”
