- Residents of Kosovo in Samora Machel are threatening to march on their ward councillor’s office to demand action on service delivery, citing neglect and unfulfilled promises.
- The residents, who live in shacks, claim that councillor Zukisani Sophazi has not visited the area since heavy rains started last month, despite flooding and drainage issues that have persisted for years.
- Sophazi denies the allegations, saying he holds regular community meetings in the area and is working to address the infrastructure challenges, including a contract to resolve the burst drain issue that has plagued the area since 2018.
Kosovo shack dwellers at Emagubevini Street in Samora Machel are threatening to march to their ward councillor at Vuyiseka Sport Complex in Lower Crossroads to demand service delivery.
They claim they feel neglected by their ward councillor Zukisani Sophazi.
Siziwe, one of the residents. said since the heavy rains started last month the councillor never visited the area to assess their living conditions.
Siziwe said she vacated her shack because of flooding. According to her, their street has been flooded for several years.
“This road has been like this for years. When the heavy roads started there was stagnant water here. There are drain bursts on the street that is why it is like this,” she said.
When the City Vision asked her why they blamed their councillor while the area has been like that for numerous years, Siziwe said Sophazi vowed to solve the problem when he was campaigning to be a councillor.
She said they want him to practice what he preached.
“It is painful for us. When councillors need votes, they come to us and beg us to vote for them. But after they assume power, they forget us,” said Siziwe, blaming Sophazi for ignoring residents.
Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of harassment, threatened to invade the councillor’s office.
“We will pull him by his jacket and drag him to come and see the mess that we are living in. We don’t have a councillor. He only cares about Lower Crossroads residents. He won’t stand for the next coming elections. Come local government elections, we will show him flames,” she said.
Sophazi dismissed the allegations that he has never been to Kosovo, labelling them as lies. He said almost every month, he holds a community meeting in that area. He said the issue of burst drains is a challenge.
“I know the street they are talking about. The drain burst problem at Emagubevini Street started in 2018 and its problem is on and off. Kosovo has a problem with old infrastructure that needs to be changed. As we speak there is a contract that is busy working on trying to resolve the situation,” said Sophazi, citing that most of the underground infrastructure had collapsed.
