Walmer Township residents blocked roads with burning tyres this morning in protest against slow and non existent service delivery.
The normal hard working ratepayer reaction to this violent action is to condemn and secretly hope that the SAPS will wade in and beat the protesting bastard silly. After all it ‘just won’t do to be late for my hair appointment/massage, manicure mow would it’?
I popped on down to the entrance to Walmer Township (Corner Heugh Road and Fountain Avenue) during lunch time and had a chat to some of the protesters and Ward 4 Councillor, Nomajama Benya.
The tyres and various other combustible materials were still burning on the road as the protesters ate African Salad and tried to bum five bucks for kutya from me. The basic message from the protesters is that they are tired of being promised services and watching each deadline be ignored.
I really do not envy the Ward 4 Councillor as, when I asked her if she was the councillor she jokingly said; “For now”. Kudos to Nomajama for sitting with the protesters and not hiding away, at least, to me, that proves that she has been trying to make a better life for all her constituents in Walmer. We are all aware that Walmer Township is an area that is central and historically never received the best attention with regards to services – from the previous and the present dispensation.
The problem that Walmer has is a simple one to define but a complex one to solve: A daily burgeoning population is creating increasing strain on an ageing infrastructure that needs serious upgrading.
Basic current information with regards to population is outdated and will be a nightmare to keep current as a result of the state of flux. Shacks are being built by the desperate who in turn ‘rent out’ portions of their property to backyarders. Backyarders also rent from formal householders creating further strain. Employment available to these residents consists mainly of menial jobs that are of short duration – gardening, painting, construction, cleaning, waitering etc. The available schools are vandalised and in a poor state, roads are sometimes impassable and the residents are restless.
The solution is fraught with complications and will further inflame the passions of residents – the influx of people to the area needs to stop immediately, backyarders need to be evicted, dangerous structures removed, residents taught the need to adhere to a budget and to have pride in their area. It will take a brave person to do all these things – especially with elections looming.
Even more telling is that most people I spoke to have no present prospect of qualifying to move into the walmer Links project for first time home owners as it requires a household income of a minimum of R2 500.00 per month to qualify. Look at that number again – for most of the Walmer protesters R2 500 per month represents riches untold!
In the meantime the Walmer Township residents have created their own public relations nightmare – who will employ someone from Walmer, tainted as they are with the tag of being militants?
Alan Straton
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And the burning dog on a skewer? That normal? Sick!
Explain a little more please Sarah?
I believe there were rioters walking with a burning dog on a skewer. They say it looked like a golden labrador. And what about the teacher who dropped a kid off at the township, was dragged out of the car and beaten to a pulp?
aaah you are talking about what other people are saying. I initially thought that somehow one of the images in my article above contained an image of a burning dog on a skewer – silly me.
Who are these ‘they’ people who saw the burning dog? Did ‘they’ get images / footage of the incident?
People get beaten up every day and it is unfortunate that the teacher did not rather stay away from a situation that had the potential for violence.
And i was looking out for a burning dog from the pictures above.
Being from the same township, i greatly sympathies with all the protestors, this is long overdue act that the municipality had coming.Walmer is still the least developed township in all of the P.E townships, unfortunately all the protectors will not even think of moving their votes to another party.
It is really , really unfortunate what happened to the teacher.
Its not about being late for a hair appointment/massage, manicure or what ever. Its about the fact that these people are part of an illegal protest that has turned violent and the police is seemingly being told to just stand by and watch the city burn. Very little is being done to stop the protest and reestablish the order of the law. By being lawless the protestors are interfering in the rights of the law abiding citizens of this city. I think a lot of people feel for and support the protestors’ plight but the way they are going about it is causing me to feel nothing but contempt for them. The municipality needs to wake up and step up service delivery which those same “inconvenienced” law abiding tax paying citizens are paying for.
Straight Talk? The affected people only know about violent protest – it is what they did to help overthrow apartheid. They do not know of NOR have they been presented with a viable alternative at the polls.
You do not lightly leave your home that liberated you.
They now sit in a situation of dire poverty and have FOR YEARS (forty or so?) had the municipality promise them service delivery and every deadline has been passed and nothing has happened.
That they are P*ssed off is a given. That their actions are wrong is a given.
Law abiding citizens can also protest but we rather sit on the sidelines like the frog in the pot that is being slowly boiled.
There must be a way that we can help these people gain dignity again – I am NOT advocating hand outs but pleading with the lawmakers to support the difficult solution we all know has to be rolled out in Walmer and show the rest of the country that we can solve these ‘problems’.
If that means waiting for a viable government then so be it.
Firefly your uninformed reply is driving me mad , fairly I do not think that we looking for sympathy from you, right now our focus is getting attention from the Municipality and we getting it through violence (the only language that politicians understand better ) .
I was not part of the protesters until yesterday evening when I heard that the reply from the municipality says “we are sorry we can not come to you and hear you out ” these words caused the whole problem . The Mayor and his cabinet being servants of the public showed arrogance and disrespect .
Gently Siya – attacking the man and not the ball is not how you will solve a problem.
Realising that the municipality is made up of different people and groups from across our Metro is the first step.
Managing the PR Nightmare that Walmer Residents will (unfairly methinks) have to cope with going forward is the next step.
On some level we all feel that the current crop of Municipal Masters have let our city down and my personal feeling is that the Walmer protests are helping to highlight the shortfalls.
In my conversation with Nomajama yesterday I got the feeling that she was aware that a solution will take a long time but was troubled at the history of people being let down time and again being repeated.
Face it – will you believe anyone from the Municipality if they give yet another deadline?
I would appreciate your thoughts on some of my proposed solutions in the article above.
Maybe you have some valid proposals on how to solve this concern?
Siya, violence isn’t the answer to everything. You seem to be a bit uninformed yourself. Through violence you are burning and damaging roads and infrastructure. Roads and infrastructure that service your community. Cutting off your nose to spite your own face. It also means that the municipality will have to spend hundreds of thousands of rands to fix those roads and infrastructure again. Hundreds of thousands of rands that could have been spent uplifting the community, which means that same community are now getting less.
You may not want my or anybody else’s sympathy, but you actually need it. That sympathy could been the support which your plight so badly needs. But unfortunately through your actions you are alienating the law abiding and tax paying citizens of this city. But violence is your answer. My advice, and you probably don’t want that either but I am going to give it to you anyway, protest through your vote at the next election and vote for somebody who may just listen to you. Don’t just vote for promises.
Oh what the hell, lets just accept all this violence and unrest and blame it on the third world country we live in. Give that man a bells!
This is so stupid – what is the municipality doing about providing the basic services and housing?
They are responsible for this mess. Also the residents need to stop being stupid sheep and voting the current useless incumbents back into their positions. Their vote is their voice (as well as burning tyres etc.) SO if they voted for the rabble that runs this municipality (after listening to and believing, their blatant lies about housing & service delivery that was sprouted before elections) – then are the protestors not protesting about who they voted for?
Whilst I disagree strongly with violent protests and the destruction of infrastructure (such as our roads), I must agree that the area has been dismally neglected. I understand the issue of over population but where are the people supposed to go. We need a government and municipality who are more concerned with their nations well-being. There are too few schools – in all areas – registration is a complete and utter nightmare. We complain about unemployment, yet our health care is suffering from lack of staff, our education system is suffering, yet I know of qualified teachers unable to find jobs. Criminals are running rampant – so we are clearly in need of a stronger/bigger police force and prison – there are massive employment possibilities. I support their demands if not the manner in which they are being made. It breaks my heart when young children, old people and disabled (of all races) beg for money – you cant always give handouts, but why is it that more is not done by those in power to help. It would be nice if they could try refrain from causing too much damage though, as I would prefer my tax money going toward solving the problem rather than having to fix the roads.
I find it sick and disturbing that FELLOW law abiding tax payers who DO HAVE all the things these poor people HAVE TO FIGHT FOR, PROTEST FOR are so judgemental.
Would you law abiding citizen care about a road if you have to go home to your cold, unstable shack without water, electricity, toilets, bathrooms because your employer do not adhere to the minimum wage requirements of this country so that you can afford a safe home and enjoy basic human rights?
I find it SHOCKING that people have to feel they must turn violent to be heard and are then still ignored! Where is our PRESIDENT? If he worried less about his TOOLS on display, changing every name ever given to existing infrastructures and cared more about the people of this country and if his CABINET that includes “SO CALLED RIGHT VOTES” were actually doing their jobs instead of worrying about who walks around in their PINK SLIPPERS, then these type of things won’t happen. Fact is no government should be in power for more than 10 years, that is when everything goes horribly wrong.
Fellow law abiding tax paying Walmer residents who DO HAVE basic services should support instead of judge these people, it is just as much their lack of infrastructure as it is the lack of services to these peolple. Burning bridges with fellow citizens, distancing one self from need because you are fortunate and throwing words of stone to those who are suffering is just as WRONG as physically showing your anger by destroing things to be heard. DO SOMETHING POSITIVE, do not judge. Is it NOT also a crying shame that everything comes down on the Councillor, Walmer residents why don’t we support these people’s plight like we would fight for our own if it was us that had to live like this and were the ones being ignored by our country, community and government? HOW LONG will everyone just LOOK AT their struggle?
I agree but remember when election time comes along the residents continue to vote for the party they are protesting against. Voter education and the understanding of the power of the X on voting day is necessary. An innocent motorist was injured while taking his child to school last Tuesday. Person injured,child traumatized and property damaged. Election time is only about two years away. Time for some work to be done!
Massive sterilization policy is the only way to go because it is clear the ANC cannot afford all their people. Education breeds education but poverty breeds poverty.. ANC encourages them to breed with a childcare grant knowing they cannot afford them. My maid does not come to work when she collects her R1,120 per month for having 4 children. But does she want to be sterilized ? No. So I have decided to roll up my sleeves & do the work myself!
Dear Walmer Resident – can you tell me if your protests in May 2012 did bring a solution to your problem? Would be nice to report progress methinks.