Boos and jeers prevent Mashaba addressing Alexandra residents

The DA has hit out at the people who forced Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba to leave Alexandra township without addressing local residents on Monday.

DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi said there was a deliberate plan to embarrass Mashaba, who was greeted by boos at the Marlboro Community Hall.

“What was meant to be a genuine interaction about concrete plans and budgets between the mayor and the community was hijacked and the meeting soon disintegrated into chaos and disorder,” said Malatsi.

Alexandra community members refused to let the Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba speak at the Marlboro community centre regarding the service delivery. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency(ANA).

The meeting with the residents had to be called off when a hostile section of the crowd booed and heckled Mashaba off the stage.

The residents said they were angry that he failed to meet them two weeks ago, when they had requested an audience with him.

City of Joburg speaker of council Vasco da Gama said the township had lost an opportunity to demand services.

“We asked the ward councillors to try and calm their people but they failed to do that. The city doesn’t have money to come back and engage with the residents. So they have missed out,” said Da Gama.

Briefing the media away from the chaotic scene, Mashaba concurred with Da Gama’s sentiment.

Alexandra community members refused to let the Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba speak at the Marlboro community centre regarding the service delivery in the community. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi/African News Agency(ANA).

“Today was the final day to engage with the region and address their grievances, but the people failed to listen to me,” he said.

Mashaba has blamed the councillors for the disruptions.

The mayor said he had notified them about the meeting and they had all the time to speak with their people, but they had failed.

The Alex councillors hit back and said the disruptions were caused by Mashaba’s behaviour in the media. They claimed the mayor has been insulting them for the past two weeks.

Adolph Marema, one of the councillors, said the only way Mashaba could speak to the people of Alex was if he withdrew his media attacks.