Booysens Park service delivery protests (incl video)

Category: Eastern Cape

Date Added: 11 February 2010

Port Elizabeth police fired rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of residents from an informal settlement near Booysens Park who embarked on a service delivery protest on Thursday morning.

Algoa FM News reporter, Carmel Loggenberg, who was at the scene said residents dispersed and regrouped behind the Booysens Park Community Hall.

Angry residents barricaded roads with burning tyres and branches Thursday morning in protest over the lack of houses and schools in the informal settlement in the area.

The protest came on the same day that the Bhisho government's portfolio committee on education was due to hold a public meeting in Booysens Park on the lack of schools in the burgeoning informal settlement.

The service delivery protest also happened on the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release after 27 years in prison.

elson Mandela Bay executive mayor, Zanoxolo Wayile, has promised to come down hard on officials who are complacent and lazy.

The tough talk from Wayile came after he addressed the residents.

Mayor Wayile said they complained about the slow pace of delivery of housing, schooling and other social services.

He said the Municipality must find ways of responding to the issues raised by the angry residents.

Wayile said at the same time there are also serious issues that he has to address within his own institution including dealing with what he said was an organisational culture of the slow pace of service delivery from officials.

"We acknowledge and appreciate those officials who are doing good work in certain directorates. But, we have to jack up all sections of the institution both at a political and administrative level so that the culture of servicing our own people becomes a permanent culture without any excuses," he said.