The Rep 18 December 2020

THE REPRESENTATIVE 18 December 2020 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 5
Residents fuming as
home affairs office closes
‘If it is not the system it is
Covid-19’ that stops the service
NTSIKELELO QOYO
Frustration is mounting for
residents who say it is an
arduous task to get
assistance from the home affairs
office in Komani.
On Tuesday residents were
fuming outside the Komani
branch when the office had to
close again following a positive
Covid-19 test.
The frustrated residents said
the closure was yet another
example of bad customer
service which was not only
inconveniencing them, but
putting their lives in danger.
“This office has a problem. If
it is not the system it is Covid-
19. We have been coming to
this office repeatedly. We risk
our lives to make sure we arrive
early. I was here at 2am. What if
I was raped? I must go through
all of this just to get an ID? The
people in charge must pay
❝ How can they
serve some people
if there is indeed an
active case?
attention to what is happening
here. The service is always bad
and we have to wait forever to
be assisted,” said Zandile
Ntantiso
Anger over the closure was
further exacerbated when
residents were told to leave,
although some people were still
being assisted.
“We were given our tickets
and informed that only 100
people would be served. After
standing here for more than an
hour the security guard told us
they would no longer be serving
us and that only certain people
would be attended to,
depending on what they had
come for.
“How can they say they will
serve some people if there is
indeed an active case?” asked
Khanyisa Ndamase.
Malusi Qhobongoshe
travelled from Ezibeleni and
said they were angered because
the staff was rude.
“It is an expense to come
here. I was here at 5am. We are
now being told they will only
assist people who came for
death certificates. What about
the rest of us?
“Are bereaved people
immune to the coronavirus?
ANGRY RESIDENT: On Tuesday home affairs in Komani closed after a staff member was confirmed positive for Covid-19. Malusi
Qhobongoshe, who arrived at 5am to get his ticket, said he was turned away while other people were served Picture:
NTSIKELELO QOYO
They are rude and now they are
refusing to even answer our
q u e s t i o n s ,” he said.
Home affairs acting district
manager, Mxolisi Ntaba, said
the office had to be closed after
they were told a staff member
tested positive.
“At about 9am we received
news of the positive test. We
requested our clients to close
the office at 10am so that we
could continue assisting those
who were already inside.
“Our staff are on rotational
shifts which means only the
office needed to be
d e c o n t a m i n a t e d ,’ said Ntaba.
The office was due to be
opened on Thursday.
Community ‘impounds’ municipal vehicles
NTSIKELELO QOYO
On Friday frustrated Ezibeleni residents
confiscated municipal vehicle keys in
protest against what they call 'uncaring
behaviour' by Enoch Mgijima Local
Municipality (EMLM) officials after they
were left in the dark for almost eight
d ay s .
The zone 1 area experienced power
cuts following strong winds that hit
Komani on Tuesday last week.
Since then, some houses in the area
are yet to have power with cables still
disconnected and electricity power
boxes destroyed.
Furious community members took
the keys to the vehicle after an
altercation with technicians whom they
claimed were working while inebriated.
Subsequently, the vehicles remained
in Ezibeleni the whole weekend without
a word from the municipality.
“What frustrated us is that a private
contractor came and fixed some of the
disconnected areas. When we asked
them about the rest of the work, they
said it was going to be done by
municipal technicians.
“When the technicians arrived it was
already dark. The same technicians then
insisted the work was supposed to have
been done by the contractor," said the
ward councillor, Lonwabo Nondyola.
Nondyola claimed after a phone call
with management at technical services
no satisfactory answer was given and
that is when the residents took the keys.
“The vehicles stayed with us the
whole weekend and we had to call them
again on Sunday to ask when they were
planning to fix the electricity,” he said.
The councillor said they were
disappointed at the manner in which the
whole situation was handled as residents
were not respected.
“Some homes are still without power.
KEPT IN THE DARK: Two Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality electricity
vehicles including a truck and bakkie were confiscated by frustrated Ezibeleni
residents over the weekend after the area had been without power for almost
a week Picture: SUPPLIED
I hear some people are being told to buy
cables themselves.
“An elderly woman is still
traumatised because her house almost
burned down. The way municipal
workers dealt with us was very bad.
“We were insulted over the phone
when trying to enquire what was
happening. After we took the initiative to
go to technical services on Monday
what had kept us in the dark for almost
the whole week was fixed within 30
m i n u t e s ,” said Nondyola.
“Since Wednesday they have been
getting here late, after dark. On the first
day they said there was no truck. The
next day they came smelling like
alcohol. On Friday we stood in the dark
with technicians who did not know what
they were doing because they had been
d r i n k i n g ,” added a resident, Seliyanga
R a ra z a .
In response to the incident over the
vehicles, EMLM spokesperson,
Lonwabo Kowa, said while an
investigation would be conducted about
the behaviour of the technicians, the
municipality denounced the
confiscation of vehicles.
“The fault was resolved and power
supply restored. Community
members raised concerns about
the conduct of some technicians
and this matter is being dealt with
i n t e r n a l l y.
“We, however, condemn the
confiscation of municipal vehicles as
a means of getting attention to resolve
faults. When not satisfied with the
service being rendered by officials,
residents should inform their ward
c o u n c i l l o r s ,” said Kowa.