Furious residents of Nancefield in Musina are demanding the immediate resignation of Mayor Carol Phiri and the municipal council's Chief Whip, Simon Madamalala.

The demand, contained in a memorandum which was also sent to the office of the MEC for Local Government and Housing, was repeated this week during public meetings in the Klopper Stadium in Nancefield on Monday and Tuesday.

One meeting was held after the arrest by Musina SAPS of various residents during Sunday night, including almost the entire management of the Musina Residents Representative Committee (MRRC), the organizers of a protest march to the municipal offices. The demand was repeated at the police station and at the court where the detainees were brought on Tuesday, without any charges being brought against them.  Immediately after they were brought from the police cells to the court, the prosecutor ruled that they should be taken back to be released without bringing them before court. They were only released by the police some three hours later. According to witnesses, the ruling for their release was originally given by the prosecutor on Monday.

This came in the midst of mounting tension between residents and the municipality, which led to repeated demonstrations. People allegedly protested at the houses of two officials on Sunday.  According to provincial SAPS spokesperson Col Ronel Otto, the police acted on allegations of public violence.

The demand for the resignation of the mayor and the chief whip was met with this reply from the mayor’s office: “The mayor and the Chief Whip have been deployed by their political party after the local government elections.”

Infuriated demonstrators earlier burnt an ANC T-shirt bearing the image of the Chief Whip at the municipal buildings. This happened two weeks ago after the mayor’s office refused to accept the memorandum presented at the end of a lawful march organized by the MRRC in collaboration with the SAPS and the municipality. Demonstrators responded with a “Voetsek” song, giving vent to indignation at what they rejected as “the totally unacceptable arrogance of the mayor and the Chief Whip”.

The memorandum contains wide-ranging questions, some relating to serious allegations of corruption, especially in the handling of  RDP housing and the appointment of municipal officials. According to MRRC chairperson Mshudu Ndou, the mayor’s office apologized last Monday for the earlier refusal to accept the memorandum and presented written answers to the memorandum, which was originally handed to her after a demonstration in March this year.

Anger welled up again after news was received of what was described as equally arrogant remarks in the written reply. On several queries in the memorandum the MRRC, instead of being served with appropriate answers, they are instructed by the mayor’s office to “Attend IDP meetings and read municipal publications”, to get their information from imbizos, ward committee meetings, from previously published advertisements and, in the case of rumours about the dates on and the way in which the mayor obtained her learner's and driver's licences: “Information available on request at the traffic station.”

Almost every allegation of corrupt dealings referred to in the memorandum is dismissed with a challenge to provide proof as a precondition to any investigation. A request for the creation of a task team to listen to and address problems that people have concerning housing is dismissed with the statement: “An affective(sic) housing unit is attending to all housing needs in this municipality.” An enquiry about the reasons for the resignation of a large number of traffic officials in Musina is answered with: “Conditions for employment are a private matter between the employee and employer. This is purely an administrative issue.”  In the same way, a request for a report on all positions advertised and filled since the new council was inaugurated, requesting post requirements, a list of candidates interviewed and score sheets of those finally appointed, is answered with: “This is purely an administrative issue. Administrators report to Council.”

In his address to residents assembled at the Klopper stadium, shortly after his release from police detention, Ndou called on residents to remain calm and await further developments. The angry call for the two officials' speedy resignation was, however, even louder than before.