Johannesburg MMC for public safety Michael Sun has been forced to leave Alexandra after residents refused to be addressed by him.
Sun had been sent by Johannesburg major Herman Mashaba to "assess the situation" after the residents barricaded the roads with burning tyres and rocks during the shutdown of the township.
Chanting "we want Mashaba", the protesting residents demanded to be directly addressed by the mayor. The residents have raised several concerns including shacks that are being erected without following proper procedures and being ignored by waste-collection company Pikitup.
Sun said the mayor never indicated that he was not willing to meet with the residents, saying Mashaba only asked him to go to the township first to engage with the community.
“I don’t understand why. If there’s such a serious protest about service delivery, why wouldn’t the residents meet with me? I was insulted by one of the leaders who said I run a spaza department, therefore I’m not relevant to come and address the crowd,” said Sun.
“I think that is absolutely unacceptable. We are here representing the City of Johannesburg, we really want to engage. We are here to listen. If there’s a memorandum to be delivered, I want to receive it."
Alex residents refuse to be addressed by MMC Michael Sun
Johannesburg MMC for public safety Michael Sun has been forced to leave Alexandra after residents refused to be addressed by him.
Sun had been sent by Johannesburg major Herman Mashaba to "assess the situation" after the residents barricaded the roads with burning tyres and rocks during the shutdown of the township.
Chanting "we want Mashaba", the protesting residents demanded to be directly addressed by the mayor. The residents have raised several concerns including shacks that are being erected without following proper procedures and being ignored by waste-collection company Pikitup.
Sun said the mayor never indicated that he was not willing to meet with the residents, saying Mashaba only asked him to go to the township first to engage with the community.
“I don’t understand why. If there’s such a serious protest about service delivery, why wouldn’t the residents meet with me? I was insulted by one of the leaders who said I run a spaza department, therefore I’m not relevant to come and address the crowd,” said Sun.
“I think that is absolutely unacceptable. We are here representing the City of Johannesburg, we really want to engage. We are here to listen. If there’s a memorandum to be delivered, I want to receive it."
Residents of Alexandra in Johannesburg blocked roads in various parts of the area on April 2 2019 over what they say is poor service delivery and a lack of development.
'I deeply sympathise with challenges experienced by residents of Alex' - Joburg mayor Mashaba
Police have their hands full defusing protests in Alexandra
Angry residents take to the streets in Alexandra 'total shutdown' protest
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos