Following incidents of violent protest that resulted in the malicious damage to municipal property in Isiphingo on Friday morning, the MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Ravi Pillay held an urgent meeting with an official delegation of Abahlali BaseMjondolo.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from eThekwini Municipality’s Human Settlements Department as well as senior officials from the Provincial Department of Human Settlements. The delegation of Abahlali included representatives from the settlements of Kennedy Road, Isiphingo Transit Camp and Cato Crest.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the Municipality and the Department will be responding in due course to the September 16 Memorandum of Grievances that Abahlali handed during a protest march.
The Friday afternoon meeting was characterised by frank and robust discussions with MEC Pillay making it crystal clear that Government will never tolerate the resorting to violence and the attendant malicious damage to State property as witnessed at iSiphingo where municipal property was damaged by fire.
The meeting also resolved that multi-stakeholder forums inclusive of the two tiers (Province and the Municipality) as well as Abahlali and other relevant groupings be formed to map a way forward and to deal with issues affecting the different communities in eThekwini and KZN. This will help strengthen communication between government and communities.
The meeting highlighted government’s commitment to working with communities in driving development. Abahlali expressed their appreciation of MEC Pillay’s initiative to convene the meeting.
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