www.MyPE.co.za: The
throwing of a petrol bomb at the house of an ANC-member and Zosa Street
Action Committee member, Glen Harmse, mired the excitement that was
coupled with a visit of high-ranking municipal officials to the nearby
Zosa Street today.
Harmse’s house in Kensington was petrol bombed around the same time
Executive Mayor Zanoxolo Wayile delivered a heartfelt speech on the
site where duplex and semi-detached houses are being erected for the
impoverished community of this area that were declared a slum area as
far back as 1936.
While Mayor Wayile’s message mentioned that it should not be a time for
electioneering since 2011 will be a time to take political messages to
communities, it could be around the same time when Harmse heard glass
broke while being busy at the back of his house around 10:20.
“To my shock and horror I saw that my gate was open, flames were
visible at my door and a dead dog was conspicuously lying in front of
my gate. My daughter and I ran to the washing machine to get water to
extinguish the flames. I am not sure what to think about the dead dog
that was left in front of my house. I am sure that it wasn’t there
before the incident occurred,” Harmse said.
Damage to the political activist’s house was limited to broken glass,
petrol in his gutter that didn’t ignite and the gory sight of new
screws that were part of the content that the petrol bomb was made of.
Deputy Executive Mayor Nancy Sihlwayi said the attack could be linked
to the activity at Zosa Street since government is dismantling the
nationalist political agenda that was aimed at letting our communities
live in squalor.
“This tells us how cruel they are and they don’t have humanity,” Deputy
Executive Mayor Sihlwayi added.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is currently building 32 duplex
units and two semi-detached houses at a cost of R3,8 million and
judging by the excitement of the residents who came to join in the
celebrations, this development is long overdue.
Executive Mayor Wayile said this is not the last time that his
political team and government officials will visit Zosa Street.
“We are going to come back with a Zosa Street Family Day and we will
bring different government services to this street so that this
community can benefit.
“We would like to galvanize the community of Zosa Street, Gelvandale
and the rest of the Northern Areas so that we can move forward as a
united front,” Mayor Wayile added.
Editors Notes:
It is with great sadness that I read the above press
release from the Municipality. I have visions of the ruling party
hoping that the public will now imagine a member of the official
opposition, such as Terry Herbst, hurling a petrol bomb at home of the
Zosa Street Action Committee member (if you know Terry you will know
how absolutely ridiculous that thought is!).If memory serves me correctly Terry Herbst started his crusade for the
remedying of the plight of the residents of Zosa Street after the fall
of the apartheid regime and after the installation of a normal
democracy in 1994 and as a Councilor for the area.For our Deputy Mayor to say; “….the attack could be linked to the
activity at Zosa Street since government is dismantling the nationalist
political agenda that was aimed at letting our communities live in
squalor”, is indicative of the assumption of some people that Nancy not
only sleeps through council and other meetings but has also
slept
through the last 20 years and missed the dismantling of apartheid and
the dissolution of the Nationalist Government completely.Just because you know someone who thinks they know someone who seems to
recall that they threw a petrol bomb during the struggle, doesn’t mean
that ALL opposition political parties resort to violence and the
throwing of petrol bombs. The closest that Terry and his mates will get
to violence will be the violent expulsion of dog excreta onto the
pristine beaches of Port Elizabeth as that is the only form of protest
known to “those people who walk their dogs and then write letters to
The Herald”.Now that the Zosa Street residents have got what Terry Herbst
campaigned for all these years it is sad that we have to be subjected
to mind numbingly stupid?rhetoric dribbling from
stupid electioneering politicians, who have just woken up to
realise that an
election is around the corner. Why can’t we rather celebrate with the
residents and not sully their dignity with puffed up antics?And, Mr Mayor, I hope and pray that your words are not entirely
prophetic when you said; “…….. and we will
bring different government services to this street ……….”Come on guys – if you beat a dog enough it will flinch every time you
look at it.The South African public are not dogs – they have a modicum of
intelligence and see through your electioneering and misuse of
municipal communications channels in order to score cheap political
points.
Nelson
Mandela Bay Municipality Contacts.
