Birdswood under siege

THE usually quiet Pelican Parade road in Richards Bay’s Birdswood neighbourhood was quickly turned into an impromptu camping site on Thursday and Friday with hundreds of vehicles lining the street for a Shembe church celebration.

Ten thousand people were expected to arrive at the nearby temple to commemorate the founding of their church in 1910.

However, the worshippers’ jubilation was not shared by residents in the area, who quickly found themselves inconvenienced by tents set up along their houses’ boundary walls.

‘I live diagonally across from the entrance to the church. We as residents have been very accommodative of the service, especially when it came to parking on sideways,’ said one Birdswood resident.

‘But now they are parking and pitching up tents in front of my home.

‘They drove onto my driveway; got stuck and spun out taking out the grass.

‘My cycad was even stolen.

‘What is my right? Are they legally allowed to sleep in front of my house in a tent?’

When one church member saw a photo being taken, he angrily remarked that cameras were not allowed in the area.

‘No photos!

‘If you say we can’t park here, you fight god,’ he said.

Unlawful

According to City of uMhlathuze Municipal Manager Nhlanhla Sibeko, the Shembe church got the nod for the gathering, but not in Birdswood.

‘They were given permission to meet in the Mpunza Hill Forest (situated between Birdswood and Mandlazini).

‘There was no discussion of Birdswood.

‘And they are not allowed to camp in front of homes.

‘I will engage with the Shembe leadership to address the situation,’ said Sibeko.

uMhlathuze Ward 2 Councillor Alen Viljoen illuminated the serious implications of the unlawful camping.

‘This set-up is a shamble – exactly as we expected and warned.

‘They need permission according to section four to have such a large gathering in Birdswood so sufficient disaster management can be planned in case of fire, noise and traffic congestion in the residential zone.

‘What toilets are they using? There are no sanitation facilities, water or electricity available for them.

‘This makes it a health hazard and the municipality has to address the issue and have the traffic officials and SAP manage the problem as soon as possible.’

The religious services started on 20 April and are expected to take place every weekend until the second week of May.