Speaking to OFM News following a protest on Sunday, community leader, Sello Dassie, says MEC, Gordan Kegakilwe, has failed to deliver on the government’s promises to bring jobs to residents through the project. He says those who are in charge of the project are instead hiring people at night and are deviating from the proper processes which should be followed. Dassie says Kegakilwe ignored an invitation from residents who wanted to be addressed by him over the controversial development in the area set to bring about change to residents.  

Meanwhile, the departmental spokesperson, Dineo Thapelo, says residents never gave her and the MEC an opportunity to address them during a meeting on Friday and instead residents left.

The project, which includes the building of roads, infrastructure and housing in that area, has been at the centre of the controversy since 2018 with residents and government officials not seeing eye to eye.

Dassies further accused the MEC of encouraging gangsterism and violence in the area after Kegakilwe allegedly went on-site at the project and told the workers to protect their jobs.

“These young boys went to my yard and terrorised my young sister and my nephews, saying they are going to burn the house and nothing has been done till today,” he adds.

He, however, adds that he has four cases opened against him which he knows nothing of. Meanwhile, the JB Marks municipal spokesperson, Willie Maphosa, on Monday told OFM News that some in the community members who feel that they must be employed are the ones who are up in arms, protesting against the development of the road project in that area.

He added that on Friday 7 February 2020 the council from the municipality appointed certain people to work on the project. “So those who were involved in the talks feel they are owed jobs and employment but for such jobs, there are processes for appointing people and all the people cannot be employed at the same time,” he adds.

OFM News