As if by divine intervention, the intermittent rain that plagued various parts of the country since last week came to an abrupt stop to allow the residents of Mamelodi to march to the local City of Tshwane Municipality offices (Mini Munitoria) to submit their memorandum of grievances on Wednesday morning.
The march started at Mamelodi West Maseko section where hundreds of residents’ demand scrapping of rent debts.
The march was organised by Mamelodi SANCO and Concern Residents For Service Delivery in Mamelodi and they were joined by PCC and MKP members including the elderly people of Mamelodi holding placards.
Their demands are as follows:
1. Local water reservoirs must be safeguarded.
2.EPWP programmes to be reinstated.
3.Title deeds for old four-roomed houses to be issued immediately.
4. Credit control and POP policies must be reviewed.
5. Debts owed by residential and business properties must be scrapped.
6.Flat rate to be implemented.
7.Formalisation of informal settlements.
8.Free registration for new electricity prepaid meters.
9. Money paid for current electricity accounts must not be redirected towards old debts owed to the municipality.
“The Municipality System Act states that the municipality can’t take decisions on issues like budgets without public participation meetings and now they use estimations to bill residents, and upon making enquires residents are compelled to make arrangements for debts that they don’t actually owe,” said President of Concerned Residents for Service Delivery in Mamelodi Oupa Mtshwene as he addressed residents outside the Mini Munitoria.
“We are here to demand the scrapping of rent debts and a flat rate, and I told municipal officials that I am prepared to pay only R40 per month, and that pensioners must no longer pay rent,” said Mtshwene.
“The municipality doesn’t take action against people squatting in informal settlements even though they use water and electricity without paying for such services,” he said.
Mamelodi SANCO deputy zonal secretary Thatohatsi Mogale complained about the filthy state and incidents of mugging that take place at cemeteries due to lack of maintenance and security guards.
“Mamelodi does not start at the mountain and we are equal here in Tshwane and we are the same, we want infrastructure in our halls, kids must swim, they must stop throwing feces in Moretele river, they must give our elderly their tittle deeds, they must stop telling elderly to pay rent with their grant money,” fumed Mogale as he adresses hundreds of residents outside the municipality office in Mamelodi West.
Mamelodi PCC chairperson Jack told the marchers that he will physically fight off City of Tshwane officials who would dare to come and disconnect residents’ electricity and that residents must call upon him to come and deal with the said officials.
“We are calling for the formalisation of the squatter camps because the living conditions there are not representative of the democracy that we are supposed to enjoy,” said Mamelodi SANCO zonal chairman Joseph Kgatle as he read the memorandum for the residents.
“If our demand is not meet and they don’t response to our memorandum, we will have another repeat of the 1985 Mamelodi massacre and I’m not afraid to die,” said Kgatle.
He added that those living in squatter camps must also be charged for municipal services just like those living in formal dwellings are charged for such services.
Local Mamelodi MK Party leader Alphius Sealetsa told the crowd that MK Party supports the march that was organised by SANCO and the Concerned Residents for Service Delivery in Mamelodi party, adding in the process that because the City of Tshwane uses estimations, then residents cannot be held liable for the exorbitant debts that they are expected to pay.
“Let the City of Tshwane hand us back to Eskom for electricity consumption and take away its prepaid electricity meters, and let it hand us back to Rand Water for water consumption,” he said.
The residents’ memorandum was received by Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise.
At a media briefing after the march, Modise said the present City of Tshwane government has been in existence for only 6 weeks and that they have already addressed some of the issues which the marchers are complaining about, including the scrapping of debts owed to the Municipality.
“The majority of the marchers fall within the category of indigents and the problem is they haven’t registered themselves as such,” explained Modise.
“The debts of the indigents will be reviewed on merit and there are documents that they must submit,” he said.
Modise stressed that the much-spoken-about flat rate is unreasonable as consumption of services determines what one must pay.
He concurred that the 14 days ultimatum given to the City of Tshwane by the residents of Mamelodi for their demands to be met was reasonable.
He pointed out that Mamelodi reservoirs have been declared national key points now, and that no illegal connections will be allowed there any longer.
Modise said the TMPD as well as private security guards will be deployed at the reservoirs which are situated by the mountainside in Mamelodi East, and that a parameter fence would be erected to secure the aforesaid reservoirs and % of Mamelodi streets were now clean as a result of the clean-up campaign that was embarked upon by numerous MMCs and Councillors in Mamelodi.
Copy of the memorandum: