March against poor delivery

2008-09-03 12:08

Johannesburg - Residents in several parts of Gauteng will protest on Wednesday against poor service delivery in their areas, the Anti Privatisation Forum said.

"Residents of Soshanguve in Tshwane, Meadowlands in Soweto, Tembalihle in Lenasia South and Marlboro in Alexandra will be marching to their local municipal offices to deliver memoranda of grievances," said spokesperson Silumko Radebe.

He said residents in the Vaal Triangle would also hold a rally at the Saul Tsotetsi Hall in Sebokeng.

"While the apartheid government no longer exists, the policies of privatisation that it initiated, within an overall framework of racialised planning and development, continues today."

He said the ANC government's adoption of a "neoliberal macro-economic framework" meant that privatisation, commercialisation and consequent cost recovery in the delivery of basic services had escalated.

"These have over many years now become the driving forces behind the increased anger within poor communities as they have only exacerbated apartheid's entrenched inequalities."

In Pretoria an estimated 400 people will march to the Soshanguve municipal office. They wanted answers to electricity and water cut-offs, poor roads, non-availability of water storm drains and high burial prices. Residents had to pay almost R850 for their families to be buried.

Residents of Meadowlands in Soweto were expected to march to the local municipal office to deliver their memorandum. They were unhappy with housing service delivery and alleged corruption in the housing department in issuing housing title deeds.

Residents of Tembalihle in Lenasia South were expected to march to the City Power office in Lenasia to demand the electrification of their area.

In Alexandra, residents of Marlboro would marching to the Alexandra Renewal Project office in Wynberg.

- SAPA