Ons is gatvol!
Singing and chanting struggle songs, both black and white, carried placards to demonstrate their anguish against the Emfuleni Local Municipality.
Starting the peaceful march from the Checkers parking lot in Vanderbijlpark CBD, the march slowly moved through the civic centre, disrupting traffic in an attempt to make a significant point.
Carrying placards written 'To hell with your BXC smart meters, stop stealing, enough is enough,' among many others.
According to a community leader and chairperson of Bedworth Park Residents Association, Abraham Motau, they handed their memorandum of grievances three weeks ago to the offices of the mayor, municipal manager, and the speaker.
However, when they arrived at ELM's headquarters, the mayor said he had not received their memorandum.
Speaking to Ster South on the sidelines of the march, Motau detailed their stances and what they expected from the municipality.
'August last year, we sent a petition to the municipality about smart meters. We were raising grievances that the municipality can't replace working or effective smart meters because they want to bring something different.
Municipalities Systems Act is clear that before the municipality can take any decision where there is an intention, they must get the views of the community. We were not consulted, hence, we want the municipality to stop with the smart meters,' he said.
Motau said smart meters are not their only headache.
'Services have collapsed. We go months without refuse collection, pothole-riddled streets, nonworking street lights, continuing electricity interruption, and bad sewer smell.
These are issues affecting the community daily, hence the march,' he said. While municipal officials such as MMC of Public Works, Tumi Mochawe, tried to engage the angry group, their demand was clear: that it had to be addressed by the mayor, municipal manager, and the speaker.
After half an hour, Mayor Sipho Radebe attended to the demonstrators, but he remained blank on the memorandum. 'I haven't seen that memorandum. I'm going to look for that memorandum, and after I go through it and will give responses,' he said.
Responding to the mayor's disappointing message, Belinda Kriel, a resident and real estate agent, said, 'You can't tell us to come another day to get responses for our grievances. People left their jobs, some are sick, yet they are here. We are here for the responses since you received a memorandum.'
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Eyewitness News
ANC's Mbalula says there was no intent from Nkabane to mislead Parliament
JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) says its deployed Minister of Higher Education Nobuhle Nkabane did not "lie" to Parliament but made a "mistake" with the appointments of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) recently came under pressure after announcing SETA chairpersons, which included a number of ANC-linked minister later told Parliament that the names of the chairpersons were recommended to her by an independent advisory panel, which was dominated by people working in her department. ALSO READ:• DA says its criminal complaint against Minister Nkabane being investigated by Hawks • Nkabane more than capable of leading Higher Education Dept: ANC in National Assembly • Some parties in National Assembly reject Nkabane's budget • Nkabane: Parties rejecting budget of Higher Education Dept punishing SA students • Majority of political parties in NCOP reject higher education dept's budget, call for Nkabane's axing • ANC believes DA's criminal complaint against Nkabane part of its grievance over Whitfield's axing The ANC has been under pressure from some of its Government of National Unity (GNU) partners to take action against Nkabane for lying to minister submitted a list to Parliament, which said her "independent" advisory panel was chaired by Advocate Terry she was forced to rescind Motau's name after he wrote to Parliament saying that he played no part in the appointment of the politically connected SETA a media briefing on Monday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said the minister had corrected her mistake by restarting the entire process."There was no intent to mislead Parliament and certainly no malice. Upon becoming aware of the error, the minister promptly apologised to Parliament and issued a formal written apology to Motau, personally and publicly, acknowledging the mistake and correcting the record." Mbalula has accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of "performative politics" by laying a perjury case against Nkabane with the police.
The Citizen
25-06-2025
- The Citizen
Minister's misstep demands accountability
Minister Nkabane's false claim involving Terry Motau warrants more than a weak apology—it warrants her resignation. Dr Nobuhle Nkabane ( Minister of Higher Education and Training) at the official launch of the National Skills Fund (NSF) Disabilities Programme Phase I at Blind SA on November 29, 2024 in Alberton, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi) Elon Musk's rocket business SpaceX is in the lead in the 'Euphemism of the Year' contest, with its phrase 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' to describe the explosion and disintegration of one of its launchers. But hot on its heels comes Higher Education and Training Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, who says that announcing respected advocate Terry Motau as the person who chaired a panel which made controversial Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board appointments was a 'misunderstanding'. The crossed wires have, according to her office, been 'constructively resolved with mutual understanding between both parties'. The reality is that Motau was never the head of any such panel – as he himself made plain in a forthright statement. ALSO READ: Higher education minster accused of covering up tender irregularities — report The Seta board appointments caused public outrage last month when several appointees were revealed to be ANC members, or had connections to the party. Initially, Nkabane refused to name the panel that assisted her when frustrated MPs demanded transparency … and then she tossed in Motau's name. His anger – and her awkward apology – must raise questions about whether Motau's name was cynically used to give legitimacy to an entirely dodgy process. More than that, though, the real question for the minister is: why have you not done the honourable thing and resigned? NOW READ: No party favourites: Minister defends appointment of Mantashe's son to Seta board
IOL News
24-06-2025
- IOL News
‘Arrogant' Minister Nkabane says sorry to Adv Terry Motau for falsely naming him in SETA panel saga
Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane has apologised to Advocate Terry Motau for wrongly naming him as the leader of controversial SETA panel boards. Image: X Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane has issued a formal apology to Advocate Terry Motau after wrongly naming him as chair of an 'independent panel' that allegedly helped appoint ANC linked board members to Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs). The apology comes after growing pressure on Nkabane and calls in Parliament for a criminal investigation, following reports that the selection process was manipulated to benefit politically connected individuals. IOL News previously reported that Motau was shocked to learn through media reports that he had been named chair of the five-member panel tasked with reviewing nominations for SETA boards. In a leaked letter circulating on social media, Motau firmly denied any involvement. 'I did not assist you or your office in reviewing and assessing the nominations received for the appointment of Accounting Authorities per Sector Education and Training Authorities,' he wrote. 'I did not participate in this process.' Motau further said that he had not met with any panel members, reviewed any documents, or submitted any reports or recommendations. 'You would also know that the upshot of all of this is that you intended to appoint me to chair the committee, which intention never materialised,' he said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading In a statement issued on Monday, Nkabane acknowledged the error and apologised to Motau, saying that her office had written to him on June 23 seeking a 'shared understanding' and expressing regret for the confusion caused. 'The minister conveyed her sincere apology to Advocate Motau for any inconvenience, reputational discomfort, or misunderstanding that may have arisen,' her department said. 'This outreach was undertaken in the spirit of transparency, mutual respect, and professional courtesy.' Nkabane said there was no intention to misrepresent Motau's role or damage his professional standing. She added that the misunderstanding had been resolved and that both parties now share a mutual understanding of the situation. Nkabane also admitted that she had not been fully aware that formal legal engagement was necessary to finalise Motau's role, describing this as a 'gap in communication' that contributed to the oversight. Nkabane has committed to briefing the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education about the matter and outlining the steps taken to clarify Motau's non-involvement. 'She remains accountable to Parliament and is committed to ensuring full transparency and procedural compliance going forward,' the statement read. The controversy has intensified calls from opposition parties for an investigation into Nkabane's conduct. Critics accuse her of misleading Parliament and manipulating the appointment process for political gain. Initially, Nkabane refused to disclose the names of the panel members involved in selecting SETA board chairpersons. Under pressure, her department eventually released the list, which included: Advocate Terry Motau SC (who has denied participating) Asisipho Solani Nelisiwe Semane Mabuza Ngubane Rhulani Ngwenya The scandal follows public backlash in May after Nkabane recommended several politically connected individuals to SETA boards. Among the appointees were Buyambo Mantashe, son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe; former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr Nomusa Dube-Ncube; KwaZulu-Natal transport head Siboniso Mbhele, and ANC Johannesburg deputy regional secretary Loyiso Masuku. Nkabane's initial refusal to identify who selected the board members raised additional concerns over transparency and political patronage. IOL Politics
