IDP public meetings go off without hitch

Despite a minor glitch where a woman demanded the municipality provide sign-language interpreters for its meetings, yesterday’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting at the Port Elizabeth City Hall went off without a hitch.

This follows violent disruptions at a string of IDP meetings in the metro, where the municipality is hosting a series of public-participation engagements aimed at establishing community needs across its 60 wards.

The woman said that, during every IDP meeting, she requested the municipality to provide interpreters, without any success.

“There will be no meeting here today because time and again I make requests for an interpreter but it seems like the municipality only responds when people are being rude,” the woman said.

During the meeting with the special sectors in Nelson Mandela Bay, transport as well as housing for the disabled were hot topics.

Themba Mzantsi, speaking on behalf of the disabled, said transport provided for disabled people was not suitable for them.

“We can’t even climb on the vehicles properly and getting in these vehicles is difficult for us.”

Mzantsi said RDP houses were not built according to the specifications indicated by disabled people when they applied for housing. “We’re put in houses which are not specified. They should look at specifications before building RDP houses.”

Those present also said the municipality should make the housing list available so they could see how many disabled people had been identified to get housing.

DA councillor and human settlements committee member Duncan Monks said the list was available and would be sent to the human settlements portfolio committee to ensure transparency.
“The metro does have the capability to say who’s got disabilities and that list will be released,” Monks said.

Following a successful IDP meeting in Helenvale on Tuesday, an equally orderly and cordial meeting was held at the Gelvandale Community Hall last night.

More than 200 residents of Wards 7, 10, 11, 12, 31 and 32 attended the meeting, which was held amid a strong police and metro police presence.

Having been divided into groups based on their wards, residents signed off a raft of projects, initiatives and remedies for problems in their respective wards.

The municipality will now work to ensure the necessary budget allocations are made for the implementation of the projects, initiatives and remedies required.

Residents at the meeting were also given the opportunity to make additional requests.

These were largely around infrastructure needs such as lighting, security fencing and traffic-calming measures.

At the meeting, mayoral committee member for roads and transport Marlon Daniels urged residents to participate in the process.

Daniels said residents should ensure that the bulk of the budget did not go to the “smart” suburbs.

“Your input will determine what happens to your areas,” he said.