Demands handed over

VANDERBIJLPARK. – An approved march supposed to culminate in the formation of a memorandum of grievances to the Emfuleni Municipality, was greeted with locked gates on September 3. The representatives of the office of the minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) received and signed the memo – on the other side of the gates.
About a 100 members of the United Front, Vaal Community Forum and Numsa took to the streets to hand over the memorandum on September 3. Much to their surprise they were forced to read, sign and hand the memo through the locked gates.
The regional chairperson of the United Front Sithembiso Ngemntu warned the officers that the Vaal is sitting on a ticking bomb.
He said that these were not empty threats, “We will do the same thing we did in 1984. During the Vaal uprising of 1984, all was brought to a standstill.”
Sithembiso said their concerns were brought to the attention of the local government up to no avail. If they failed to respond within 14 days, he warned that they would return in bigger numbers.
They demanded that all three local municipalities step down with immediate effect. The municipalities had failed the communities dismally.
“All the rates and taxes accounts commonly known as ‘Masakhane’ should be scraped. The MBDC debt collectors on behalf of Emfuleni Municipality should stop threatening the community to pay for services.
“Instead of evicting the people, the government must provide them with better houses and land. The government should do something to prevent job losses and the closing of factories. Corruption is the cancer that kills the community and robs us of service delivery,” reads the memo.
“We demand a 50% reduction in the salaries of the mayor, municipal manager and political employees. The government must install security and give learners at schools healthy food. An investigation should be conducted into those unduly benefiting from the social grants.” Mogakane confirmed to have received and signed the memorandum to be submitted to the office of the minister of CoGTA and Emfuleni. No violence was reported.