On Tuesday, a group of residents marched to Kouga Municipality headquarters to deliver a memorandum demanding transparency over RDP housing allocations and electricity services. The protest targeted the only DA-led municipality in the Eastern Cape, with demonstrators gathering outside the municipal offices to voice their frustrations over what they described as years of broken promises and alleged corruption.
The memorandum was read aloud by Chris Mtyaleka, a community leader and UDM regional secretary, before being handed to Municipal Manager Charl du Plessis and Deputy Mayor Councillor Timothy Jantjes, who accepted it on behalf of the absent Mayor Hattingh Bornman.
Residents voiced frustration over what they described as corruption within the municipality, claiming that housing and electricity services are being used for “favouritism and political gain.” Many said they had been waiting years for transparency, with some accusing officials of “broken promises” and “cover-ups.”
The protest was organised by Kouga Unite, a growing civic group that describes itself as “a space for all residents concerned with service delivery, regardless of their political affiliation or social standing.” Formed in April 2025, the group now has around 2,500 members on Facebook and nearly 400 residents in a WhatsApp community group. According to James Lidderd, new members are joining daily. The group said Tuesday’s demonstration was held in support of residents raising two “urgent issues”: the high costs of restoring electricity for those whose prepaid power supply has been cut off, and concerns over the fair and transparent allocation of RDP houses.
“Today we stand in the community and we won’t be bullied anymore,” said Vivian Meintjies, one of the organisers, as she addressed the crowd gathered outside the locked municipal gates. “This is not political; today we call for unity,” Meintjies added.
What the residents want
The memorandum sets out a long list of demands, mainly focused on RDP housing allocations and electricity issues. Residents are calling for:
• Transparency in the allocation of 1,500 RDP houses, including publication of the full list of beneficiaries
• An investigation into why the online housing portal has gone offline
• Renovations to old RDP houses, which residents say are in poor and unsafe condition
• A fair process around electricity fines and prepaid meter disconnections, which have left some households without power for weeks
The document also raises concerns about alleged corruption in the housing allocation process, with one section calling for the removal of a local councillor who was reportedly listed as a housing beneficiary.
What the DA says
A source within the DA told Kouga Express that many of the issues raised “fall under the provincial government” rather than local authority. The source added that the municipality “is being blamed for matters that are the responsibility of the Eastern Cape Department of Human Settlements, and the only relevant issue raised was the allegation against a particular ward councillor.
The DA has since confirmed that it launched an internal investigation into those allegations, which, according to the party, resulted in a clean audit.
Following the protest, the municipality issued a formal statement addressing the residents’ concerns: “The petition has been submitted to the Kouga Speaker, and a comprehensive written response will be provided to the residents in due course. We are currently engaging with the Provincial Department of Human Settlements to address any queries related to the housing list. Several meetings have already been held with beneficiaries and residents to explain the process and qualifying criteria, and we remain committed to continuing these engagements.
“Regarding Councillor Alexander, the matter has been thoroughly investigated and resolved. The investigation confirmed that the councillor did not tamper with the electricity meter at the house in which he resides. It is, however, noteworthy that this march coincides with the by-election in Ward 2, prompting questions about possible alternative motives. The municipality remains open and accessible to all community members who wish to engage with us on any matter concerning Kouga.”
- Catherine White is an award-winning multimedia journalist, and director of Cat White Media. She has worked for some of the largest news publishers in South Africa in radio, TV, print and online video. Catherine, who is originally from Jeffreys Bay, completed her high school education at Global Leadership Academy (2015) after which she studied Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University in Makhanda.
