Fed-up woman of Lethabong settlement residents have described their Ward 100 Councillor Bekker as a ghost because he is of no use to them.
“Councillor Bekker, you are a ghost in Lethabong because no one sees you and the only time we see you is when we go on service delivery strikes because you always refer us to your puppets, who happen to be your assistants and though you have been Ward 100 Councillor for a long time here, you have never conducted a community meeting,” fumed Lethabong resident Sesi Malaza with reference to Councillor Bekker’s apparent ineffective leadership style.
On Tuesday a group comprising mostly of Lethabong women marched to the relocation site in Pienaarspoort in the East of Tshwane to demand employment in the said relocation project taking place there.
They also demanded basic services like water, toilets and electricity in their area.
Besides lambasting Councillor Bekker, the Lethabong residents also blamed Community Liason Officer (CLO) Thembinkosi Magagula for denying them opportunities to be employed in the relocation project, hence they marched to his offices at Extension 15 in Pienaarspoort.
“Magagula promised us that he will use transparency when employing people for the relocation project but now it is clear that he has undermined us because none of us residents of Lethabong have been employed in the Extension 15 Pienaarspoort relocation project,” fumed Malaza.
“By employing us as parents, we would be able to uplift the lives of our children and our households,” she said.
She pointed out that during a recent disaster in the area only a few blankets and food parcels were brought to their area due to Councillor Bekker’s incompetence.
“We are sick, and we are tired, and all that we want now is an answer regarding the date on which our people from Lethabong will start working on the Extension 15 Pienaarspoort relocation project,” she said.
“We are no longer able to go to the Municipality to raise complaints and we are always referred to useless Ward Committees and Councillors,” she said.
Malaza sent a message to City of Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya as follows:
“Mayor, as residents of Lethabong we are going to embark on a strike, we are still mobilising because as Mayor you have failed to come and engage us regarding our grievances, we will therefore go to the Union Buildings to meet President Cyril Ramaphosa and once we are there you must not try to come and address us.”
In response to the grievances of Lethabong residents regarding employment opportunities in the relocation process, CLO Thembinkosi Magagula said the following:
“Residents of Lethabong must identify their community leaders so that we can work with them in coordinating and identifying those in the community who deserve to be employed in the various projects taking place in their area.”
He then promised that once the water project in the area starts, he will accordingly inform the residents of Lethabong.
Regarding the road construction project, Magagula said construction will first start at the new Extension 15 Pienaarspoort area before moving to nearby areas like Lethabong, Mooiplaas and Skierlik.
He said job opportunities in the relocation project are no longer available and that the only project that may offer residents employment opportunities is the road construction project which will commence in April this year.