Durban — A Durban North community activist has called on ratepayers to fight service delivery failures together by supporting Umsinsi’s controversial door-to-door visits to the homes of politicians.
Umsinsi civil rights movement spokesperson Reggie Ngcobo said his movement was happy to hear that their campaign to hold local politicians accountable was getting support across racial lines, since matters of poor service delivery affected everyone.
Umsinsi is planning to visit eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s home.
Activist Dennis Theron told the Daily News on Tuesday that he was mobilising his community to join the movement when it pays Kaunda a surprise visit.
Theron supported the idea that the visit should not be announced to prevent taxpayer-funded security agencies from violently dispersing them. He said that everywhere – including his area – street lights, water and sewerage reticulation systems did not work and there were constant power outages.
Theron called on black and white communities to fight service delivery failures. He said the ruling party was benefiting from polarised societies which always saw black people alone marching for poor service delivery.
Theron said this created the impression that there was service delivery in former white suburbs, which was not true.
Two weeks ago, Kaunda’s office dismissed the idea of marching to his house, saying he executed his duties from the City Hall complex and was willing to meet anyone there, not at his home.
“I live in Durban North. All of us are sick and tired of the useless service delivery of this corrupt ANC council, resulting in the decay and collapse of infrastructure everywhere.
“Cadre deployment has ensured that metro officials are incompetent, corrupt and have no interest in serving the people who elected them. People who live in the previously white suburbs as well as people living in the poorer areas have had enough and the time is ripe for action to get rid of this rotten council,” Theron stated.
If Umsinsi wants to march to the mayor’s house for this purpose, they may welcome the possibility of being joined by people from areas such as Durban North, La Lucia, Glenashley, Umhlanga Rocks, Westville and Kloof, said Theron.
Theron said that historically, people in these areas had been characteristically passive, with the idea of marches being foreign and unappealing because such activity often led to violence.
Theron called on residents of formerly white suburbs to rethink their position on marches, adding that if black, white, Coloured and Indian people can all participate and show solidarity in the march, it would send a resounding message to the municipality.
Theron said money for fixing or maintenance had either been stolen or misspent on irregular expenditure, with the ratepayers being milked by way of exorbitant rates, which were five times what they should be, so as to enrich the corrupt officials.
“Racial polarisation was the pillar on which the officials’ capacity to steal and break was founded. The last thing they want is social cohesion, hence the constant playing of the race (card), which is their key to deflecting attention from corruption and self-enrichment,” Theron said.
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