Central SA
Heidedal councillor stands behind her ward─── 09:08 Fri, 20 Sep 2019
Gloves are off as Heidedal residents are preparing to stand up and fight for their community’s right to job opportunities at the controversial Integrated Public Transport Network (IPTN) Hauweng Project in the area.
Ward 47 councillor, Mokgadi Kganakga, who is respondent number eight on the list, stated her disappointment at the municipality yesterday after the case between the municipality and the residents have been postponed for further deliberation.
Kganakga told OFM News that she is baffled with the fact that the municipality claims it has a lack of finances, but yet is spending a lot of money on this case wanting to keep an entire ward from a project, whilst they are without water and service delivery.
“They came here because they thought this community did not have the means to fight back, and there was a businessman who availed himself and said he will sponsor the case, which was very well accepted,” she added.
Kganakga explained that it has been stated in the environmental impact report that the IPTN or the municipality needs to have engagements with the community where the project have been launched and to inform them on how the project will benefit them as a community.
This after residents were unexpectedly summonsed with a court order in August, and as a result, appeared without representation. This lead to a face-off with the metro who aimed at obtaining interim relief against the residents after the contractor alleged that the residents had intimidated workers at a bus depot allocated for the controversial IPTN project following a series of protests.
OFM News/Elsabé Richard