At the next council meeting, the Democratic Alliance in Newcastle Municipality will raise a motion about the illegal strike that took place in Newcastle which disrupted the town and residents.
The strike took place in the early hours of Thursday morning in Madadeni and Osizweni, where disgruntled residents burnt tyres and threw rocks in the road leading to the Central Business District (CBD). They also looted foreign-owned businesses in the area. Their grievances included that of poor service delivery and indecisive leadership in the municipality, calling for the management to be sacked.
Schools and businesses had to be completely shut down putting even more strain on our Municipality’s economy which is already under tremendous pressure. The municipality must put in place conclusive laws that will ensure that those who vandalize roads and property face the full brunt of the law.
The DA is working around the clock to ensure that residents get the service delivery that they deserve. We have continuously made calls to the former and current Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MECs to place this municipality under administration.
All these actions are as a result of the friction within the ANC, their concerns are more about their interests rather than those of residents.
The municipality currently owes Eskom more than R200 million which has been accumulating since 2012. There has been no communication on their comprehensive plan to pay Eskom. The municipality is on the brink of collapse, departments are short-staffed, waste is not being collected and we have a sewage crisis. This only heightens our call for this municipality to be placed under administration.
It is high time residents of Newcastle took matters into their own hands by voting against the corrupt ANC. Instead, vote for a capable party that has a proven record of good governance and efficient service delivery for all.