The mayor of Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality (CALM), Daniel Nkosi, strongly condemned the burning of tyres and damaging of infrastructure during protests that occurred at Silobela in Carolina. During these protests, most roads around the town were closed forcing some businesses to close for fear of being looted.
Community members took to the streets over service delivery issues which include lack of clean drinking water and power outages.
They also want mines operating in the area to prioritise locals when it comes to business and job opportunities. Some of the protestors accused the CALM for not supplying clean water or no water at all. “We have been quiet for some time but the service delivery is getting out of hand. The Municipality is not taking us seriously; water is a necessity and when it is not supplied to us while we are paying for services it is a problem,” residents said.
They also complained that their roads are in bad state and power outages in the area even if there is not load-shedding. They demand that the Municipality should act on their grievances or they will continue to take the matter to the streets until they are heard.
The mayor acknowledged the grievances brought forward by the Carolina community and is currently working on responses. “Whilst the Municipality respect the right of communities to protest based on legitimate grievances, the Municipality will never condone any acts of vandalism and criminality associated with any protest. The community must refrain damaging infrastructure, irrespective of challenges being confronted,” he said.
Nkosi said these protests would reverse the good work achieved regarding water service delivery through the programme initiated by the Municipal Manager, Ephraim Thabethe, in December 2022. He also
pleaded with community members of Carolina to cease the violent protests which is likely to destroy the infrastructure of the Municipality. The Executive is requesting that incorrect and false information should not be shared on social media or on any media platform because it incites violence that could endanger the lives of the community members.
“Due to the protest pumping of water to reservoirs has been disrupted in Carolina and Silobela. Other services like waste removal and payment of services are also affected accordingly.
We urge that community representatives, to meet with the municipal leadership both political and administrative to address the issues of service delivery as stakeholders,” he said.
