Durban — Residents of eThekwini ward 101 in Mayville and Cato Crest said they were hoping service delivery would improve as they were voting for a new ward councillor on Wednesday.
The former ward councillor, Mzimuni Ngiba, is in custody for allegedly ordering a hit on ward candidate Siyabonga Mkhize who was killed in October 2021, just before the local government elections. ANC activist Mzukisi Nyanga was also killed.
Ngiba won the post of ward councillor but was later arrested and ward 101 was left without a councillor for about a year.
Resident Marco Mbambo said on Wednesday that they were expecting big things from the councillor who won the ward because it needed a leader who would deal with service delivery.
“The waste and sewer system in this ward is very bad. The roads are not maintained and we wish for the illegal connection issues to be solved.”
He said they were also expecting job opportunities to be created. Thulisile Bhengu, who had voted, said the new councillor would have to prioritise people living with disabilities, and the elderly.
“The crime rate is very high here. We wish they would allow police to come in here and do their work because people are being killed like flies,” said Bhengu.
She raised concerns about the infrastructure in the ward. She said the places where children played were not safe or well-maintained.
Another resident, who declined to be named, said houses needed to be built as many people lived in shacks.
Electricity was another problem that needed to be solved.
“We sometimes do not have electricity for the whole day,” she said.
When the Daily News arrived at the voting station at Cato Crest, people were wearing T-shirts in support of political parties, predominantly the IFP, ANC and the EFF.
Some were dancing, while others stood by the voting station, urging voters to go and vote.
The atmosphere was upbeat, with no hostility evident between the supporters of the various parties. If an ANC car played music they all sang and danced together. The same thing happened with the IFP.
Security was tight, with the SAPS and Durban metro police patrolling.
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Daily News