Dear Editor
What should have been a constructive opportunity to make input into the IDP of the ANC-led Inxuba Yethemba Municipality, became a scene of violence when the mayor and municipal manager refused to answer service delivery questions.
The meeting was called for Thursday, 18 April 2024, in the Sonskyn Hall in Michausdal in Cradock and was attended by the mayor, Noncedo Zonke, the municipal manager, Mkhulili Mbebe, and their heavily armed privately contracted bodyguards, paid for by the taxpayers.
Residents wanted the first item on the agenda to be a discussion point regarding their challenges with electricity matters but the mayor refused and said she would only deal with the IDP.
Some residents then requested her to identify a suitable date that will enable her to meet with them to discuss the electricity crisis, but she refused and walked out of the meeting while her hired guns manhandled residents out of the way.
Outside in the street the private security guards fired rubber bullets at men, women, and children alike and it has also been alleged that the municipal manager fired off a shot with his own personal firearm.
The DA will not allow this outrage to go unpunished and on Friday, 19 April 2024, we opened criminal cases at the Cradock Police Station on charges of assault and the unlawful discharge of a firearm in a built-up area.
Residents and the local business sector have been brought to their knees due to interrupted electricity supply that can last for weeks on end. Electricity problems such as old electricity cables, exploding transformers and unceremonious implementation of the credit control policy are legitimate issues for the mayor and her officials to discuss.
One of the first priorities of a DA government will be to establish an effective, professional, and merit-based public service system with a sole focus on delivering quality services to all South Africans.
After the 29 May National and Provincial Elections, the DA will Rescue South Africa and the people of the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality by ensuring the delivery of quality services to all.
Regards
Kobus Botha MPL
EC Midlands Constituency Leader












