The ANC and its youth league have come under attack from Premier Helen Zille, who accused them of trying to prevent the Democratic Alliance-led council and the province from delivering services to poor communities.
This comes as Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba sought to intervene in the often violent toilet saga in Makhaza, Khayelitsha. This, and last year's prepaid water meter controversy in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, were linked to a political agenda against the City of Cape Town and the province, Zille said on Tuesday.
In October, some Tafelsig residents alleged to Zille that a local ANC leader had told them to turn off their water mains before Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka visited the area. Shiceka later threatened to strip the city and province of their powers.
At a press briefing on Tuesday after hearing that Shiceka planned to visit Khayelitsha in the wake of recent violent protests, Zille said: "I'm not a conspiracy theorist. What we are trying to do is to deliver services to communities and do what government is suppose to do - do those things for people which they cannot be expected to do for themselves.
"I have very little doubt that the ANC and the ANCYL are determined to stop us from delivering those services."
In a letter to Shiceka on Tuesday, Zille gave a broad outline of the open toilets issue. It included a list of Makhaza residents who gave written consent for the city to enclose their toilets.
She said that, on Tuesday morning, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato had met a delegation of affected Makhaza residents who told him, among other things, that they had been intimidated by members of the youth league.
Chumile Sali, the youth league's deputy secretary of its Dullah Omar region, rejected Zille's allegation.
"There is nothing political when a black person relieves him or herself in full view of the public. The DA should not use the ANCYL as justification for its own failures."
About intimidation and attempts to stop services, he said: "There is not evidence to substantiate a claim of intimidation. We resolve problems through dialogue. That is why we went to the Human Rights Commission. The fact is that 80 percent of the city's budget is directed at rich suburbs, and poor communities are not benefiting at all. It is fallacy to suggest the ANCYL is stopping development."
Makgoba said the open toilets were not only "demeaning" to Makhaza residents, but were a health risk and made women vulnerable to rape.
Makgoba took to the streets of Makhaza on Tuesday and spoke with several residents, listening to their complaints about the unenclosed toilets.
He said he had been moved by the residents' plight: "These are people who have nothing - taking away the little that they have is a bad thing. I will plead with leaders to show these people of God respect."
Makgoba said he would write to Zille, Plato and Shiceka and "plead with them to help these people of God".
This comes as Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba sought to intervene in the often violent toilet saga in Makhaza, Khayelitsha. This, and last year's prepaid water meter controversy in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, were linked to a political agenda against the City of Cape Town and the province, Zille said on Tuesday.
In October, some Tafelsig residents alleged to Zille that a local ANC leader had told them to turn off their water mains before Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka visited the area. Shiceka later threatened to strip the city and province of their powers.
At a press briefing on Tuesday after hearing that Shiceka planned to visit Khayelitsha in the wake of recent violent protests, Zille said: "I'm not a conspiracy theorist. What we are trying to do is to deliver services to communities and do what government is suppose to do - do those things for people which they cannot be expected to do for themselves.
"I have very little doubt that the ANC and the ANCYL are determined to stop us from delivering those services."
In a letter to Shiceka on Tuesday, Zille gave a broad outline of the open toilets issue. It included a list of Makhaza residents who gave written consent for the city to enclose their toilets.
She said that, on Tuesday morning, Cape Town mayor Dan Plato had met a delegation of affected Makhaza residents who told him, among other things, that they had been intimidated by members of the youth league.
Chumile Sali, the youth league's deputy secretary of its Dullah Omar region, rejected Zille's allegation.
"There is nothing political when a black person relieves him or herself in full view of the public. The DA should not use the ANCYL as justification for its own failures."
About intimidation and attempts to stop services, he said: "There is not evidence to substantiate a claim of intimidation. We resolve problems through dialogue. That is why we went to the Human Rights Commission. The fact is that 80 percent of the city's budget is directed at rich suburbs, and poor communities are not benefiting at all. It is fallacy to suggest the ANCYL is stopping development."
Makgoba said the open toilets were not only "demeaning" to Makhaza residents, but were a health risk and made women vulnerable to rape.
Makgoba took to the streets of Makhaza on Tuesday and spoke with several residents, listening to their complaints about the unenclosed toilets.
He said he had been moved by the residents' plight: "These are people who have nothing - taking away the little that they have is a bad thing. I will plead with leaders to show these people of God respect."
Makgoba said he would write to Zille, Plato and Shiceka and "plead with them to help these people of God".
- Cape Times
No comments:
Post a Comment