Some residents of Buffalo City Metro in the Eastern Cape say the municipality has been unsuccessful in delivering basic services.
They’ve cited the delivery of housing as one of the areas in which the municipality has failed.
The municipality has also been criticised for its inability to stimulate economic growth and address unemployment.
Mandisa Nzuzo lives in Fynbos and has been waiting for a proper house since 2012.
Bulelwa Lujabe- Peter is appealing for support for her small business.
She says, “I’m giving this municipality red because this municipality has failed to get me out of this situation. I would rate it green if we had a descent house. We have absolutely have nothing.”
“I decided to start this business after struggling to find a job and it helps to put food on the table. I see that the municipality is building shelter for hawkers on the other side. I hope they will come to us too.”
However, Mayor Xola Phakati says they have made some progress in providing housing and road infrastructure.
“We are not able to reach everybody because of the challenge of inward migration of communities into the city, and another challenge is the urban and rural divide that characterises our metro – where you have 60% of our people residing in nearby villages. So, we got to stretch our resources to cover those metros as well.”
Buffalo City Metro authorities accused of not addressing sanitation challenges:
