No catering, so dialogue abandoned

A Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality event, flagged as a Freedom Day Celebration Dialogue, ended abruptly yesterday as residents bused in bemoaned a lack of food.

The dialogue, with political analyst Ongama Mtimka as the main guest speaker, was at the Sowetoon-Sea Multipurpose Centre.

But as he began his address on township businesses competing with larger supermarkets, the venue was bare.

Representatives of the elderly, women and disability sectors from around the Bay complained that there was no catering.
They also bemoaned what they said was a slow start and they wanted to know why the municipal host, constituency services mayoral committee councillor Shirley Sauls, was absent.

Kholiswa Yafuthi, of Uitenhage, spoke of her unhappiness with the planning of the event.

“We wasted our time here because we are speaking to the walls.

“There are no officials or anyone taking notes to give our problems and suggestions to the respective portfolios,” she said.

Municipal public participation committee administrator Nzali BatyiBailey said: “People are used to [having] catering when we have these meetings, but we are not supposed to cater for [such] events.”