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The service delivery protests and shutdown in Makhanda will continue on Wednesday even though a delegation headed by co-operative governance MEC Xolile Nqatha is due to visit the city in a bid to resolve at least some of the issues.
Co-organiser of the taxi-orchestrated shutdown, Lungisa Sixaba, vowed that the protest, which has brought Makhanda to a standstill since Monday, would continue until Nqatha sets foot on Makhanda soil at midday on Wednesday.
“The moment the delegation arrives, the shutdown ends. But until we see that they are going to honour their promise to come to Makhanda, the protest will continue,” he said.
The protest is being held to highlight poor service delivery, especially the terrible state of the potholed roads in Makhanda East which taxi operators say are destroying their vehicles.
But Sixaba says they would also take Nqatha on a tour of Makhanda East so that he can see for himself the terrible living conditions of residents in the townships caused by the devastated infrastructure, leaking sewage, uncollected rubbish and a lack of potable water.
“He must see for himself how we live. It is not the way any human should live. We are not wasting time with memorandums and such.
“We are going to be practical and we want the MEC to be practical in his response.”
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane on Tuesday condemned the forced closure of schools and businesses in Makhanda, and directed Nqatha to visit the city on Wednesday, in a bid to pour oil on troubled waters.
“The disruption of normal daily activities, including the forceful closure of businesses and schools, in a country of laws such as ours, can never be tolerated,” Mabuyane said.
He called for calm and urged protesters to allow the process of dialogue to take place.
Roving groups of taxis and protesters on Tuesday forced the closure of almost all businesses, banks, shops, petrol service stations, schools, the courts, restaurants as well as the N2 national road east and west of Makhanda.
They visited schools, ordering them to close and send students and staff home. At Rhodes University about eight taxis emblazoned with the words “the lockdown is on. Asijiki” (we will not submit) moved onto campus with protesters on board.
They went into lecture halls and laboratories, forcing students and staff to leave.
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said the university would not close its operations despite the “invasion” of campus by taxi operators.
“We condemn in the strongest terms the violation of the rights of our students and staff.”
No students or staff were injured, but some were traumatised and would receive counselling.
Mabizela said while the university identified with community concerns on poor service delivery, the opportunists who sought to exploit these genuine concerns for narrow and selfish ends should desist.
“The municipality poses a real and serious risk to the sustainability and future of our university. We call on local provincial and national spheres of government to attend to these issues without delay.”
A pall of smoke hung over the city as protesters in the early morning dragged burning tyres and branches across roads leading into Makhanda.
Schools that were forced to close would have to find ways of catching up on missed work, provincial education spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said.
He said the department was depending on local and provincial leadership and the community to address service delivery issues so that the protests would not continue to affect schooling in Makhanda.
“If it escalates schools will establish contingency measures to ensure that lost time is recovered through extra classes.”
Makana municipality has warned residents that there will be no provision of water or refuse collection until the protests are over.
Municipal spokesperson Anele Mjekula said: “The situation is unfortunate and beyond the control of the municipality. We continue to assess the situation and will do what is practically possible without endangering municipal assets and employees’ lives.”
The municipality’s sanitation department was firebombed early on Tuesday but quick action by the fire department prevented serious damage.
Sixaba warned that taxi operators and residents did not want any more “empty promises”.
“The MEC must come with concrete plans to fix this place. We will give him seven days to produce a budget. We want action now. We are sick of empty promises.”
He urged protesters to be disciplined and, despite their frustration, to avoid intimidation, looting and violence.
By 4pm, the N2 had been reopened and the protesters had dispersed. Cleanup operations were under way in Makhanda and on the N2.
Police spokesperson Col Priscilla Naidu said public order police from East London and local police would continue to monitor the situation.
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