Opposition parties protest over corruption and service delivery
Members of the EFF Amajuba Region and Team Sugar SA (TSSA) took to the streets demanding answers from the IFP-led municipality.
The Newcastle CBD was again the scene of protest action on Friday, May 30.
The demonstration, part of the EFF’s “Year of the Picket Line” campaign, began on Albert Wessels Drive and made its way down Allen Street, ultimately ending at the municipal offices on Scott Street.
Leading the protest were EFF Provincial Chairperson Mongezi Thwala and TSSA President Musa Thwala.
The protesters carried signs demanding an end to corruption, nepotism, and failures in service delivery.
“This town reeks. There’s no hope left,”
Mongezi Thwala declared, sharply criticizing the state of Newcastle’s infrastructure, frequent power cuts, poor sanitation, and the dilapidated roads filled with potholes. He further accused the municipality of hiring unqualified staff based on political affiliations, stating, “To land a job here, you need to wear the right T-shirt and be a card-carrying member of the IFP.”
Thwala also called for a forensic audit into the qualifications of senior municipal officials, revealing that “Three hundred young people were called for interviews, and within an hour, people had already been hired.”
The protesters intended to present a memorandum to Mayor Xolani Dube, Speaker Thengi Zulu, and Amajuba Mayor Thembalethu Mthembu. However, tensions escalated when the officials reportedly walked away just before the document could be handed over.
“Is this the disrespect we get?” the crowd shouted, booing loudly before turning to a representative from Cogta, who eventually accepted the memorandum. The EFF has given Cogta 21 days to respond, with Thwala pledging to bring the matter up in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
“There will be no peace in parliament where I sit against Newcastle Municipality,” Thwala warned, promising to push the issue at the provincial level.
As the protest wound down, one bystander remarked, “And so it begins—the battle for 2026 is underway.”
The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and request an add on our WhatsApp (082 874 5550).
