Frustrated residents of Ga-Rankuwa in Pretoria have resolved to boycott activities related to the upcoming Local Government Elections, including the voter registration weekend scheduled for June 20 and 21, saying they have lost faith in government’s ability to address their concerns.
The decision was taken during an emergency community meeting held at the YMCA Centre. The move follows years of complaints over poor service delivery and comes nearly a year after residents marched to municipal offices in August last year to demand action on issues such as sewage spills, deteriorating infrastructure and disputed municipal billing.
Ga-Rankuwa community leader Thibedi Nthite said residents have repeatedly tried to engage government but have seen little change on the ground. ‘The City is not interested in meeting with community representatives,” said Nthite. He said the community has approached various government structures, including the Office of the President, without success.
According to Nthite, discussions with Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Jacob Mamabolo have also failed to resolve the issues facing the community. “We are now calling for the intervention of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi,” he said.
Residents are also calling on Eskom to write off historical debt linked to the former Bophuthatswana administration. Nthite said residents feel ignored by government and have instructed community leaders not to participate in any activities linked to preparations for the elections. “The leadership has received a clear mandate from residents not to participate in any activities related to preparations for this year’s elections,” he said.
Residents believe an election boycott is one of the few ways left to draw attention to their concerns after years of raising complaints about service delivery. The City of Tshwane and the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
