Protests in Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal are ongoing with protesters bringing the small town to a standstill on Wednesday, 25 January 2023, blocking the entrances to Dannhauser with burning tyres.
The protest action began on Tuesday, 24 January 2023, with the protestors blocking off the Dannhauser/Newcastle road via Alcockspruit.
Protestors took to blocking the town off due to the continuous water cuts plaguing residents for a number of months.
In response, the Amajuba District Municipality Mayor, Cllr Zulu, joined by the Dannhauser Municipality Mayor, Cllr Kunene, alongside Ward Cllr Mthunzi Mkhumane met with the community protestors along the R621 at Skobaren.
According to the Amajuba District Municipality, the protest action followed a community meeting on 23 January 2023, where the residents listed their decade long grievances, seeking to attract the attention of both the district and local Municipal leadership.
Key among these grievances were the severity of water scarcity, which has lingered on for a long period, sanitation issues, shoddy electricity supply and the issue of damaged roads.
A memorandum was thus handed over to both Cllr Zulu and Cllr Kunene, who have both committed to doing their best to respond and take action within the stipulated seven days.
In an address to the community, Cllr Kunene admitted to the challenges that the current leadership inherited in relation to the issues raised by the community. Cllr Kunene also outlined there should be accountability, transparency, and comprehensive feedback from the Amajuba Engineering team, regarding solutions to the crisis.
As a temporary intervention measure, Cllr Zulu requested that there be immediate engagements between relevant stakeholders, including the Amajuba Engineering Services team, the political leadership and community representatives.
He further pleaded with the community to cease the violence and take advantage of the proper channels available when raising paramount issues.
Despite the protest resuming on Wednesday, both Mayors have committed to uprooting the cause of the issues and pledged to the community that they would work on bringing about a permanent solution to the water crisis and other issues.
While the Amajuba District Municipality and Dannhauser Municipality work on the issue, the protest action has resumed and impacted traffic flow. According to Road Angels Traffic Information, the only route open at the moment near Dannhauser was via Sunset Rest.
As protestors continue, what are your thoughts?
