Grahamstown businesspeople have called for the heads of Makana Mayor Zamuxolo Peter, five of his councillors and a director.
Grahamstown businesspeople have called for the heads of Makana Mayor Zamuxolo Peter, five of his councillors and a director.
Small local businesses affiliated to the Makana United Business Chamber, along with union leaders and some 500 citizens, marched to the city hall this week to hand over their demands to the newly appointed administrator Pamela Yako. Yako accepted the petition on behalf of Eastern Cape Premier, Phumulo Masualle.
Chanting and yelling slogans demanding the councillors be sacked, the crowd was met by the locked gates of the city hall and a strong contingent of the East London Special Police Unit. The petition reads, "The current mayor has not only failed the people of Makana under his stewardship, he has destroyed our city. He is leading a faction of councillors that include, Julia Wells, Boniwe Bonani,Bonani, Ranchhod (full time business man) and a full time Mayoral Committee leading municipal finances."
In scathing terms the petition demands the removal of Council Speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac, councillors Nomhle Gaga, Boniwe Bonani and Julia Wells, as well as director of engineering and infrastructural services Thembinkosi Myalato. Chief among the grievances of the Chamber was the allegation that the municipality denies local Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) tenders in favour of outside companies.
Addressing the crowd outside the city hall, chairperson of the Chamber Lungile Mxube said the municipality had spent R24 million on infrastructural development projects between February and May this year.
"All the tenders were handed to outside companies, mainly Port Elizabeth, and only two [Grahamstown companies] shared tenders worth R700 000," Mxube said. Among the reasons for the march, listed in the three-page petition, are "lack of service delivery, lack of water and electricity, lack of housing and corruption in housing delivery, misuse of funds, nepotism, high levels of crime, lack of leadership and high levels of unemployment".
The petition also demands that the bank accounts of the officials named be frozen pending the outcome of investigations related to the Kabuso forensic report.
In an ironic twist, controversial former Port Elizabeth mayor Zamuxolo Wayile was one of the marchers. Addressing the crowd in front of the city hall in his capacity as the National Union of Mineworkers' national ideological officer, Wayile pledged support to the marchers.
"We share your pain and we share your difficulties. Having no water is unconstitutional," Wayile said. Wayile then blasted the provincial leaders of the ANC.
"No Oscar Mabuyane [ANC Provincial Secretary] is going to help you in this problem…" Wayile told the crowd.
"He sits with people at BCM who stole money in Madiba's name."
Speaking to Grocott's Mail shortly after accepting the petition Yako, said, "My job would be to forward this to the premier and also to advise them in the decision-making." In a quick interview before the petition was handed over, Makana ANC chief whip Julia Wells hit back at the marchers.
"I won't mention names, but some of these businesses are severe debtors," she said. Wells hinted that some of the businesses involved in the march had contributed to the bad financial situation of the municipality through failing to pay rates.
