Sakhile calmly waits on ANC

2009-10-16 18:36

Johannesburg - Sakhile township, outside Standerton, is quiet on Friday afternoon as residents await feedback from the ANC next week.

"There's nothing happening now," said Sakhile community activist Phanuel Manana.

"They are expecting a response on Wednesday."

This was confirmed by Lekwe municipality spokesperson Sipho Mkhwanazi. Lekwe incorporates Sakhile and the town of Standerton.

"It's quiet. We're cleaning the streets. The locality is back to normality," said Mkhwanazi.

Want to speak to Zuma

The Mpumalanga township of Sakhile has for the past weeks been rocked by violent protests which residents say were due to a lack of service delivery. They were demanding the resignation of the mayor and councillors.

The residents also wanted President Jacob Zuma to visit Lekwe municipality and personally address some of the problems. Zuma's office had said this would not happen.

On Thursday, ANC national executive committee members Fikile Mbalula and Malusi Gigaba visited Standerton for day-long meetings with municipal and provincial officials, church organisations, community leaders and local party structures.

They will be making a report to the ANC national working committee (NWC) on Monday, the party said in a statement.

No one was willing to predict what would happen after a response was given to Sakhile next Wednesday.

Manana also refused to predict what would happen after Wednesday, or promise that there would be no further incidents until then.

Weak local ANC branches

Gigaba and Mbalula said the cause of the unrest in Sakhile was due to "weaknesses" in the local leadership as well as "social distance" between municipal officials and the community they served.

Manana said many of the problems were due to weak local ANC branches in Sakhile and new councillors were needed from the local branches who had the community's trust.

"The branches of the ANC locally are not that strong," he said.

"They should select councillors who the masses have confidence in."

However, though he is a local ANC member, Manana said that he would not accept a councillor's position.

"I don't want to be seen as an opportunist," he said.

"I don't think that would be useful."

Manana said community leaders would again meet Sakhile residents later on Friday at the local stadium.

For now, community activist Thabo Selepe has welcomed the reprieve while the ANC deliberates.

"We need to get back to our own lives."
 

- SAPA