CAPE TOWN – A leader of Ward 99 Development Forum in Harare, Khayelitsha has lashed back at the City and accused it of ruling along racial lines.
The remarks came after the City released a statement on Wednesday 26 November threatening to seek an interdict against the Ward 99 community members who were protesting outside the depot demanding that the security company hired by the City leave the newly-constructed MyCiTi bus depots at the corner of Spine Road and Mew Way, between Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain. The City has labelled them extortionists.
The community demanded the City to use its service provider instead of one hired by City.
Ward 99 Development Forum executive member Bonga Madlamba said all the forum wants is for the City to prioritise the Khayelitsha community when hiring companies or people for the depots. He said they felt undermined by the City for not consulting them when appointing the new service provider for the depots.
“The City doesn’t take us seriously; it undermines us. There was a security company working there during the construction of the depots. We heard now it was dismissed and a new security company was hired without consulting us.” He accused the City of failing to follow proper procedures before hiring a new security company.
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Madlamba said Forum protesters blocked all entry to the depot, on Thursday 20 November, until they had spoken to City management. He said they did the same on Monday the 24th and demanded to speak to City officials, who came.
“We didn’t reach any agreement at the meeting. All we wanted to know was the percentage of people from Khayelitsha who will be hired at the depots. We are not talking about general workers only, including professional workers. There are many qualified people in Khayelitsha who are unemployed.” He added the Ward 99 forum wasn’t fighting for the ward only, but for Khayelitsha as a whole.
He dismissed the City’s high-handed labelling of the group as extortionists. “We are not impressed by these stunts from the City. Our intentions are certainly not hidden. The City knows us and what we are all about. We went to the depot in the daytime to negotiate with them. Extortionists doen’t negotiate; they kill if one doesn’t cooperate.” Madlamba said if the City wants to go to court it is free to do so, and the forum will meet them in the dock.
In a statement Mayco member for Urban Mobility Rob Quintas said the City strongly condemned attempts by a group of would-be extortionists to interfere unlawfully in statutory procurement processes and disrupt operations at the newly constructed depots.
“The City is seeking an urgent interdict to protect the facility, and cases have been opened with the officers. Law Enforcement has been deployed to stabilise the situation, but this cannot continue indefinitely without detriment to other priority areas. The City wished to place on record that any threat of vandalism, intimidation or disruption of municipal services is a criminal offence and will be treated as such.”
