Mayor confronted by residents over service delivery failures

Frustration reached a boiling point for residents of Ward 95 informal settlements as they gathered outside Thusong Hall on Thursday, September 11, to voice their grievances regarding long-standing water and electricity issues.

The aim was to draw the attention of the mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who was present for a service blitz event. However, instead of the planned service, residents delivered passionate speeches and protest songs, demanding immediate intervention concerning their living conditions.

The residents wanted to know about the future of their areas and the installation of basic services like electricity, water, ablutions, and others. They believed that the only person who could solve their problems was the mayor. They refused to give the memorandum to members of the mayor's office and waited for the mayor to address them.

A community leader who only referred to herself as Sindy, who represented the informal settlements, said the primary concerns relate to inadequate services and the accumulation of rubbish in their neighbourhood since 2020. She said these issues had been neglected for far too long and are having a detrimental impact on their daily lives.

“We are the residents of Ward 95. We have a lot of complaints. We are still struggling with water, sanitation, electricity, and other services. Most people living there are seniors. Now, people go to transformers and illegally connect there, causing problems among us as residents,” she said. Sindy noted that they had many meetings with the municipality over the past few years, but nothing has been done.

Upon hearing that the mayor was coming to Khayelitsha, the residents decided to hand over the memorandum to him directly. Another leader, Mzimasi Mtitshana, said they were pleased to have met the mayor. However, he warned that if nothing happened within the promised 14 days, they would have to take to the streets again.

Responding to the complaints and concerns, the mayor made it clear that the City did not provide electricity; it is serviced by Eskom. He said the only thing he could do was to speak to Eskom, and that the City could not disconnect illegal connections.

He admitted that there were many service delivery challenges in Khayelitsha, particularly in the brand-new informal settlements. He assured the residents that the city would check how far they are on the list.

“I am very glad to receive their memorandum. We will read it and come back to them after 14 days. We will do our very best to help the community. But they should know that the city does not run Eskom. The substation must be managed by Eskom, so we will follow up with them,” he said.

The mayor’s words were echoed by the mayoral committee member for energy, Xanthea Limberg. She said that, unfortunately, the City’s electricity department would not be able to electrify that area, but she would be meeting with Eskom.

The demonstrators left peacefully, hopeful that their concerns would be heard. The informal settlements represented included Backstage, Nqentsu, Qalabutsha, Zinzi, Mpolweni, Covid, Zone 15, and Gomora.