Protest action by the community of Gomolo
Village in Port St Johns has been suspended following a fruitful meeting
with Transport and Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe.
According to the Department of Transport
spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, it is alleged that protest action negatively
affected public services including schooling and healthcare, resulting in
workers abandoning their posts for safety reasons.
“Public
Order Police being deployed to the area to restore law and order,” Binqose
said.
He
further said Transport and Community Safety MEC, Weziwe Tikana-Gxotiwe was
there to find the cause of the unrest and find a lasting solution to the
problem.
“It
quickly emerged that at the core of it was the election of a Ward Councillor
that the community wants removed for various reasons,” Binqose said.
Tikana-Gxotiwe
has pledged to take the concerns raised by the community to all the relevant
structures who will be able to address them.
“I
am happy I met with them as a representative of this ANC-led government. I am
even happier with the outcomes of our meeting and their commitment to suspend
their protest action to seek a peaceful solution to their problems,” Tikana-Gxotiwe
said.
She
added that the disruption of schooling and interruptions in the provision of
healthcare services has to be condemned.
“I
have full confidence that the leadership is capable of be reining in members of
the community and allow the work of government to continue unhindered,” Tikana-Gxotiwe
said.
Tikana-Gxotiwe
concluded her visit with a quick stop at Silimela Hospital for a brief meeting
with the hospital management who had been traumatised by the events of the past
couple of months.
She
promised to return to the community in less than two months for a comprehensive
report on the situation.
