While the DA says a change in attitude towards local politics has kept crowds away from Makana Municipality’s IDP roadshow meetings, the ANC says it’s business as usual.
While the DA says a change in attitude towards local politics has kept crowds away from Makana Municipality’s IDP roadshow meetings, the ANC says it’s business as usual.
“It’s not a quorum that counts, but the quality and representivity of the interaction between the Mayor and the public,” ANC councillor Mabhuti Matyumza said yesterday.
He was responding to questions from Grocott’s Mail about poor attendance at the Mayoral imbizos held in various wards over the past two weeks.
Earlier this month, Makana Municipality announced its schedule for its annual roadshow.
This is a series of statutory public participation meetings with the budget and integrated development plan (IDP) for the coming financial year as the sole item on the agenda.
Already behind schedule, they were again postponed as councillors and officials worked around the clock to help solve the displaced residents crisis over the past month.
Numbers at Tantyi on Wednesday 18 November were low and at different venues have hovered around 40, including councillors and officials.
DA councillor Xolani Madyo said the Ward 5 meeting in the Extension 9 hall on Wednesday night, at around 70 residents, enjoyed comparatively good attendance.
“It was also the shortest meeting,” Madyo said. “Very short. It was mostly old people attending.”
With Ward 5 councillor Monwabisi Tame, residents raised the status of RDP houses in Extension 9 and unfinished houses in Transit Camp, and the fact that sewerage lines have not been connected in Transit Camp and sewage.
“The Mayor promised she would take the matter up,” Madyo said.
Crime in the area also featured large among residents’ concerns, Madyo said.
A lone member of the public attended the IDP public meeting for wards 3 and 4 on Monday 23 November – and neither councillor was present.
DA Makana Caucus leader Les Reynolds said the meeting was a disaster.
“We are very disappointed that even though the meeting was advertised beforehand [in the local press]and people did know about it, Grahamstown West residents in that ward didn’t come,” Reynolds said.
He said he would be meeting with DA councillors for Ward 3 and 4, Marcelle Booysen and Lena May respectively, [today], to discuss the matter.
Officials told him the councillors had received pamphlets for distribution, he said; however it appeared no one in the area had received any. Reynolds said he would be looking into this [today].
Makana Municipality spokesperson, Yoliswa Ramokolo, asked about Monday’s no-show, said, “We wouldn’t know why people did not attend the meeting, because councillors received their notices to distribute to the community on time.”
Ramokolo said poor attendance would not deter the Council from continuing with the public participation meetings.
In a telephone call, Booysen told Grocott’s Mail she had been unable to attend. “I had other arrangements,” Booysen said.
May could not be reached by the time of going to press.
Matyumza said on Tuesday, Noluthando Hall was at least half full.
“It was well attended,” Matyumza said.
However, he said whether the meetings were full or not was missing the point.
“The law says that the Council, in preparing the adjustment budget, must make provision for the Mayor to interact with residents. There is no specific quorum,” he said.
“What there should be is representation from different areas – people bringing up specific concerns of those different areas. This has happened.”
Reynolds said he felt the Council was just going through the motions.
“I think there is a change in attitude towards politics,” he said. “I think next year’s local elections are going to be a watershed. “Whatever happens, it’s definitely not business as usual.”
