By Buziwe Nocuze
- Qandu Qandu residents say they questioned why donated food and blankets were shared with less-affected areas after this week’s floods.
- Ward 93 councillor Thando Pimpi denies threatening residents and says all flood victims at the hall deserved help.
Qandu Qandu flood victims say they left a community hall and went back to flooded shacks because they no longer felt safe.
Residents from the Khayelitsha informal settlement had been moved after this week’s floods. They received food parcels, blankets and soup from the Khayelitsha Development Forum, Shoprite and Gift of the Givers.
Lulamile Gwadiso said Qandu Qandu was hit harder than nearby Zone 14 and Phase 3, all in Green Point.
He said residents were shocked when people from other areas also came for donations.
“We were shocked when other residents came to benefit and when we asked them they said their ward councillor told them to come and get the donations because he’s the reason we are receiving everything,” said Gwadiso.
He said residents questioned Ward 93 councillor Thando Pimpi about the donations and were threatened.
“As a leader, he was not supposed to threaten us because he’s our leader and we have a right to ask him,” said Gwadiso.
Nosipho Hlakana said some residents left the community hall after the alleged threat.
“After the ward said he would get us one by one we didn’t feel safe continuing sleeping at the community hall,” she said.
She said they went back to the flooded area after hearing that residents from two sections might attack them.
Hlakana said Pimpi also told them he signs papers at the City of Cape Town for service delivery.
“Telling us that he won’t sign anything for us is another way of threat,” she said.
Pimpi denied threatening anyone. “I didn’t threaten anyone,” he said.
He said flood victims from Qandu Qandu, Zone 14 and Phase 3 were all told to go to the community hall.
“It was not only for a specific area,” said Pimpi.
Pimpi said Qandu Qandu leaders made a bad decision by separating flood victims and leaving the hall.
“I told them that everyone who is at the community hall will benefit from the donations because they are all flood victims,” he said.
Pictured above: Qandu Qandu residents in Khayelitsha say their ward councillor threatened them over service delivery after a fight about flood donations.
Image source: Supplied
