Komani residents furious after mayor dismisses electricity demands

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality executive mayor Madoda Papiyana in a heated exchange of words with the residents during a service delivery march on Wednesday refused to respond to the community’s demands.

Papiyana told the residents that they will not unblock the electricity which has been blocked in Komani and Ezibeleni.

The chaos started when Papiyana asked those who were at the march if they were representing themselves or the community.

We are representing ourselves

Responding to him, the marchers shouted: “ we are representing ourselves. You don’t hear when we say we are the affected people.”

“Where is this anger coming from,” asked Papiyana, annoyed.

One of the residents Solomzi Nkwentsha emphasized that as residents they are demanding that all those houses whose electricity has been blocked be unblocked by Thursday, 22 January 2025.

Papiyana responded that he only received one page from the residents without any demands.

Each person who has a problem must go to the finance department

“All those whose electricity has been blocked it’s done because of different reasons. People’s electricity was blocked and each person who has a problem must go to the finance department as an individual,” he said.

He said finance will check the reasons for blocking your electricity.

When one of the residents explained to Papiyana that she had already been there, he asked her what she was at the march for.

“Uzothini apha wena, ungayi kwababantu uya phapha (what are you here for, why are not going to those people. You are too forward),” he said.

Will not unblock the electricity

He said they will not unblock the electricity without knowing what the problem is.

“You must know as you have people with plans, it is going to be an individual who will not have electricity,” she said.

Reading the petition, Phumelele Ntwana said they are demanding the unblocking of electricity metres, the suspension of credit control and that full reconciled statements be issued to residents.

Tembile Sgqolana

“We are also calling on the investigation into the R1.2m BMW bought for the mayor and a Toyota Fortuner used by the speaker Noluthando Nqabisa,” she said.

Ntwana said they are also demanding a full restoration of refuse collection, roads, water and electricity services.

Councillors owe the municipality more than R3.3million

“We know that councillors owe the municipality more than R3.3million and we want a full disclosure of councillors’ debts,” she said.

She said if the electricity metres are not unblocked by Thursday, no refuse trucks will enter their areas.

“ No water metre readers will enter our yards and the community protection of infrastructure will be enforced. We will be forced to approach the courts and chapter 9 institutions,” she said.

The marchers gave Papiyana seven days to respond to the demands.