By Luvuyo Mjekula
Makana Municipality ward 10 councillor Zodwa Cetu told residents at a public meeting in Xolani Location on Sunday that threats on her life had prevented her from carrying out some of her duties. Although she would not be drawn into providing specific details, Cetu told the meeting that because of death threats she had been unable to call public meetings and visit the area.
The meeting also heard that a ward committee member had recently announced his resignation, reportedly due to death threats. The member was not present at the meeting on Sunday.
Residents of Xolani hauled Cetu over the coals for lack of development in their area. They wanted explanations for the myriad service delivery problems they face, including water outages, water and sewage leaks as well as promises made more than three decades ago to build them RDP houses.
In the true spirit of community engagement, the residents held the meeting out on the street in scorching conditions, on a busy Sunday afternoon, with one resident blowing a whistle to draw the residents’ attention. Not long after, residents were seen making their way to the corner of Nondzube Street, a number of them grandmothers and grandfathers in their 70s and 80s. The elderly citizens had to make use of chairs and bench seats to avoid standing in the sun-baked street corner for hours.
Addressing the community members, Cetu admitted her powers did not go beyond the office of the council Speaker Mthuthuzeli Matyumza. She stressed the need for functioning ward, street and area committees in order to get responses to residents’ service delivery complaints. Cetu assured them she would register their concerns with Matyumza as well as relevant municipal directors.
Also discussed at the meeting was the replacement of the current ward committee leader with whom the residents had encountered problems.
The meeting took an interesting turn with Joza Vispol commander, Lt-Col Vuyokazi Melane, addressing crime matters. Melane, accompanied by a sector crime forum officer, had joined the meeting after a tip-off from a local resident. The two SAPS officers engaged the community members about the formation of a sector crime forum in the area.
Resident Busiswa Nyeka asked why the police targeted residents who were proactive and tried to help the police by stopping criminals in their tracks. She said they had on several occasions called the police to address crime such as cable theft and housebreaking to no avail.
“We have been calling meetings due to cable theft and housebreaking, we have been crying in Xolani because crime is rife here. Today you are coming because the councillor is here.”
Melane hit back: “Helping us fight crime does not mean a resident must take the law into their own hands. If you hit a suspect you will be arrested.”
Melane told the group she had not received any communication from them regarding crime concerns. She urged them to report crime and pleaded with women to limit alcohol consumption so they can be there to protect their children from criminals.
After the short engagement, the residents and the police agreed to meet again in the near future and even exchanged contact details in order to form a crime sector forum.
