The Rep 22 October 2021

THE REPRESENTATIVE 22 October 2021 Tel: (045) 839-4040 / editorial: mjekulal@therep.co.za / advertising: charodinev@therep.co.za 15
Poor services ‘but we must vote’
Power cuts, lack of water, crime and filth abound
MBALENTLE STOFU
Ezibeleni residents fed up with service
delivery issues, say they are still expected to
vote in the upcoming elections in a week’s
time.
They expressed how discouraging it was to
vote and yet see no change in the community.
There was no safety, they were robbed in
broad daylight and yet there was a police station.
The only assistance they got was from the
appointed patrollers who work at night to ensure
everyone is at home by curfew.
Lorenzo Moteno, a resident of Unathi Mkefa,
said: “There is always loadshedding which makes
it difficult for us to buy fresh vegetables and meat
to store in the refrigerator. Our appliances were
damaged from the power outage.
“We now have to buy paraffin which is
expensive, and we do not work.
“When there are job opportunities, those in
power think of their families and friends first.
“Sometimes loadshedding affects the whole of
Ezibeleni but when electricity comes back, it only
lights up certain parts. The street lights don’t work.
“This is one of the reasons people are robbed.
“We hardly have water. Garbage is not
collected, so now we burn it so that it does not
pile up. We are sick and tired of the ANC robbing
us of our rights,’’ Moteno said.
Another Unathi Mkefa resident, Thembelihle
Mkhwambi, said: “We get called to community
halls for job opportunities by the Ikora forum and
some people got employed by the Go-slow
company, but some of us are still waiting for jobs.
“Residents who are employed were
complaining about how unfairly treated they are
at work and the forum suggested a strike.
“When the residents lost their jobs they did not
want to be held accountable, instead they sit at
home with no jobs.
“Food parcels would be distributed at 5am to
certain households of people they know.”
Gcobani Mbukushe, of Bhekela location, said
they were promised houses, but still lived in
s h a ck s .
“We were promised better housing in 2013
and some houses were built and finished. Some
were destroyed and left in that state.
“We do not even have toilets in our homes, we
go to the dongas because there is no water.”
Bongani Gawula, a resident of an informal
settlement, said it was difficult to just watch TV or
charge a cellphone, with all the power outages.
Nobuntu Kali, of Zone 3, lamented: “My water
pipes have burst and nothing has been done,
instead I have to put in chemicals to tone down
the smell. I’ve tried plumbers and still none of that
has brought relief. Instead they burst repeatedly.
“My children react so badly to it, they now
have skin allergies and I suspect the sewage might
be the cause. The power station next to my house
is a problem, it causes power outages every day
and I am always left with no electricity.”
S E WA G E
PROBLEMS:
Ezibeleni
re s i d e n t
Nobuntu Kali
says the
stench of
sewage from
burst pipes
outside her
house is
unbearable
and she has
to buy
chemicals to
try tone
down the
odour P i c t u re :
MBALENTLE
STOFU
FALLEN APART
FIRE HAZARD: Ezibeleni residents say they have no choice but
to burn their refuse as municipal refuse collection trucks are
not seen in the community
EMPTY PROMISES: Residents of Ezibeleni such as Gcobani Mbukushe, of Bhekela location, say they are promised proper
houses but are still waiting
DANGER
TO LIVES:
Residents
of Zone 3
in Ezibeleni
say this
open
power box
next to
their
homes
places
their lives
at risk
ABANDONED
DREAM: The
owner of this
shack in
Ezibeleni
ditched it
because
promises to
build houses
for residents
were never
fulfilled
P i c t u re s :
MBALENTLE
STOFU
YELLOW SETTLEMENT: Bongani Gawula, a resident of an informal settlement in Ezibeleni, says their homes were destroyed a
few years ago in the hope that the government would build them new houses