“We do not trust you.”
That was the message from some Govan Mbeki township residents to Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Mongameli Bobani and his mayoral committee on Tuesday night.
While some residents said they were excited to be addressed by a black mayor, others aired their grievances at one of the first IDP meetings hosted by the new government in the metro.
Dozens of residents attended the meeting at the Govan Mbeki multi-purpose centre.
“We are extremely angry as Govan Mbeki residents,” Nobuntu Mavata said as she pointed a finger at Bobani.
The residents were responding to a vow by speaker Buyelwa Mafaya that the municipality would review its stance on blocking prepaid meters of residents who owed the city but were on the Assistance to the Poor programme.
Bobani later added to a list of promises that the city would improve the response time to complaints lodged through the call centre to 24 hours.
Mavata said she had been struggling to unblock her prepaid electricity meter since 2010.
She claimed she discovered the meter had been tampered with when she returned to the Bay from Johannesburg in 2010.
“I went to city treasurer to try and sort it out but I was sent from pillar to post. No one has been able to assist me.
“We have been let down and we don’t trust a single one of you,” Mavata said.
One resident, who only identified himself as Mavusi, asked that the new city government lay out its plan for Govan Mbeki township
“We need electricity in this area, it is long overdue.
“We have been asking for service delivery for more than 20 years,” he said.
“Mayors have come and gone but nothing ever happens, hence we resort to burning tyres.”
Some residents took the opportunity to hold Bobani to account for past broken promises.
Simphiwe Tsolo claimed that Bobani had failed to visit them in Westville as he had previously promised.
“When you were deputy mayor you said you would visit Westville, and even set a date, but that never materialised, “Tsolo said.
“We hope that this is not lip service and you will actually do the things you say you will do.”
Tsolo highlighted that residents in Westville were still on the bucket toilet system, with six families using one bucket toilet.
The municipality’s infrastructure and engineering department hit a snag in its attempts to eradicate bucket toilets in the city as some residents said they wanted houses instead.
For some residents a library and community halls were listed as priorities.
David Makhadi said he was concerned that pupils who walked to and from NMU’s Missionvale campus to access the library were getting robbed on the way.
“We need a library, our kids are robbed on a daily basis.
“This library will not just help schoolchildren but also adults who want to read.”
Some residents asked that Bobani and his committee prioritise sport and the revival of boxing in the area. Others wanted more houses built.
Bobani said the grievances and priorities would be taken into consideration as the city reviews the IDP and budget.
“The municipality will now respond to complaints in 24 hours – gone are the days when you lodge a burst pipe and five months down the line it has not been repaired,” he said.