Sihle Mavuso presents the latest news from KwaZulu-Natal.
Phoenix – The Jacob Zuma-led MK party has cancelled its peace rally which was going to take place in the township of Phoenix in Durban this weekend. The party was heavily criticised for planning to host the rally there while the wounds of the July 2021 unrest are still fresh. Among those who publicly spoke out against the ANC’s splinter party going to Phoenix was political analyst Xolani Dube from the Xubera Institute. Dube said it was not wise for the party to stage the rally while there has been no true reconciliation between the Zulu and Indian communities after the 2021 unrest where several African people were racially profiled and killed.
Durban – The DA in eThekwini municipality wants the troubled ANC-run municipality to refund ratepayers who, despite paying for municipal services, did not get any in the past three weeks because of the ongoing strike by some city employees. The DA’s caucus leader in the municipality, Thabani Mthethwa, says during the strike, which had been allowed to spread unabated, infrastructure was damaged leaving thousands without water and electricity. Refuse collection services also stopped, forcing many residents to live and walk among piled-up waste and the subsequent stench. Mthethwa added that while the municipality would like to believe the strike is over, it isn’t as workers have simply employed a new strategy of clocking in but not performing their duties.
Nongoma – After years of complaints from motorists, the KwaZulu-Natal transport department has finally allocated funding to finish tarring the Nongoma-Pongola road. The road was left unfinished a few years ago, forcing users to reach Pongola via the N2 or the pothole-riddled Louwsburg route. The department claimed that it ran out of funds while the road was still under construction, which is why parts of it were left untarred. MEC Sipho Hlomuka officially commissioned the completion of the road at the weekend.
Ntuzuma – The township of Ntuzuma in northern KZN continues to battle a crippling water crisis. The township has been without water since Friday last week and some residents complain that the water tanker only serves certain sections of the township. The township’s water woes have been going on for years. Last week, residents engaged in a violent picket in a bid to force the municipality to restore their water service. The service was temporarily restored but a few hours later the taps went dry again.
Ulundi – King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube have condemned the attack on ANC members on Saturday at KwaCeza near Ulundi following the 110th commemoration of King Dinuzulu kaCetshwayo by suspected Zulu regiments. In a joint statement, they said one of the victims of the violence suffered severe wounds and had to be taken to Ngwelezane Hospital in Empangeni for intensive medical attention. The others were treated at KwaCeza, eDumbe and Itshelejuba hospitals.
Pictured above: Residents of KwaMashu crowd around a water tanker on Sunday. The nearby township of Ntuzuma still doesn’t have water.
Image source: Sihle Mavuso
