Duncan Village’s shipping container mall, which was supposed to boost the township’s economy, is the subject of controversy as a group of irate residents demand that ward councillor Kwanele Majeke be fired for “failing to maintain it” as it stands unused, awaiting the connection of services.
The container hub, which is part of the metro’s informal trader’s infrastructure programme introduced in 2018, has been vandalised and is said to now be a haven for snakes.
The residents submitted a petition to BCM council speaker Humphrey Maxegwana’s office on Wednesday containing a string of complaints including the neglect of the hub.
The hub has yet to be officially opened, despite being built in 2023.
The petition said no progress had been on promised infrastructure initiatives.
It reads: “Deteriorating public services in Ward 8 in places such as the Container hub eDiphini — it is unattended, danger to the community as large number of snakes were seen, fencing has been ripped off by drug addicts which is a wasteful expenditure.”
Responding to this, Majeke said the disgruntled residents were his detractors who were “causing chaos in the ward”.
“There have always been detractors of everything that I do. We are approaching 2026.
“So it’s a cohort of detractors from within the ANC and they are deliberate in their programme even if it means that services will not be brought properly to the people and accountability will not be fully accomplished.”
He said the container hub project was delayed due to a lack of basic services.
“The majority of people that want to use [the hub] need water, sanitation and electricity as their requirements in business.
“Remember, it's mostly general traders, your small and medium enterprises, like your salons, people that are cooking. They need sanitation, they need water.
“So I had a meeting with the community to say, can we allow these people to utilise this container in the meantime, given that we do not have electricity and water?
“They want to have electricity, they want to have water, you can't have a salon without water. The resolution from the community is 'let's wait for the municipality to complete all the stages of the project'.
“Now, stages of a project depend on the directorate responsible for the project,” said Majeke.
On Friday, Maxegwana said he had not yet seen the petition.
“Petitions go through a process through the petitions commission. I have not received a copy but I’m sure it will come to my attention,” he said.
BCM spokesperson Bongani Fuzile did not respond to questions by the time of publication.
DailyDispatch
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