A VISIT by Free State MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Olly Mlamleli to trouble-torn Reddersburg failed to bear fruit since residents vowed to continue with their protest actions.
Mlamleli visited the area on Tuesday night with the aim of calming the residents down.
Protesting residents last week went on the rampage, torching government buildings and barricading roads with burning tyres to demand better services.
They accused the Kopanong local municipality of failing to provide them with services.
Mlamleli, flanked by Kopanong mayor Xolile Matwa and other government officials, addressed angry residents in a partially burnt hall. The hall is one of the structures burnt during the protests.
Matwa apologised to the public for not being present when they raised their grievances and said the municipality was working hard to "fix the problems".
He claimed that he was out of the province when residents demanded to see him.
"I would like to apologise for not being present to accept your memorandum. I could not be available. I was seriously engaged . I was not disrespecting you," Matwa said.
He promised the community he had appointed a team that would fix the billing crisis in the area.
Mlamleli acknowledged that there were problems in the municipality that needed to be fixed, saying they would attend to some of the demands.
"We have a budget that can only service 500 sites, not 2000 as you [have] demanded. With my budget of R900-million I am going to to complete many houses that were left incomplete across the province," she said.
Mlamleli and her team left the meeting without taking questions from the public, something that angered the residents, who shouted that they were continuing with the protest action.
Community leaders Amaan Moeketsi and Thabo Josana said Mlamleli and her team had angered residents.
"They did not address serious issues. The mayor knows our problems very well. We are angry and do not know how the public [will] respond in our feedback meeting," Moeketsi said.
"We thought their presence would assist us, but nothing came of the meeting.
"What kind of meeting is that, where residents are not allowed to raise their concerns? Problems here are bigger than those they were talking about," Josana said.
- ntwagaes@sowetan.co.za
Protests - No plans to back down
A VISIT by Free State MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs Olly Mlamleli to trouble-torn Reddersburg failed to bear fruit since residents vowed to continue with their protest actions.
Mlamleli visited the area on Tuesday night with the aim of calming the residents down.
Protesting residents last week went on the rampage, torching government buildings and barricading roads with burning tyres to demand better services.
They accused the Kopanong local municipality of failing to provide them with services.
Mlamleli, flanked by Kopanong mayor Xolile Matwa and other government officials, addressed angry residents in a partially burnt hall. The hall is one of the structures burnt during the protests.
Matwa apologised to the public for not being present when they raised their grievances and said the municipality was working hard to "fix the problems".
He claimed that he was out of the province when residents demanded to see him.
"I would like to apologise for not being present to accept your memorandum. I could not be available. I was seriously engaged . I was not disrespecting you," Matwa said.
He promised the community he had appointed a team that would fix the billing crisis in the area.
Mlamleli acknowledged that there were problems in the municipality that needed to be fixed, saying they would attend to some of the demands.
"We have a budget that can only service 500 sites, not 2000 as you [have] demanded. With my budget of R900-million I am going to to complete many houses that were left incomplete across the province," she said.
Mlamleli and her team left the meeting without taking questions from the public, something that angered the residents, who shouted that they were continuing with the protest action.
Community leaders Amaan Moeketsi and Thabo Josana said Mlamleli and her team had angered residents.
"They did not address serious issues. The mayor knows our problems very well. We are angry and do not know how the public [will] respond in our feedback meeting," Moeketsi said.
"We thought their presence would assist us, but nothing came of the meeting.
"What kind of meeting is that, where residents are not allowed to raise their concerns? Problems here are bigger than those they were talking about," Josana said.
- ntwagaes@sowetan.co.za
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