eThekwini residents raise service delivery concerns with Cabinet at Presidential Imbizo

Thapelo Molefe 

Ethekwini residents gathered at the Umnini Sports Field in Umgababa, south of Durban, to interact with President Cyril Ramaphosa, his cabinet and KwaZulu-Natal provincial government officials to raise their concerns in their metro during the Presidential District Development Imbizo.

Unemployment, crime, housing, the rising cost of living and education were some of the main issues raised by residents at the imbizo.

The embattled eThekwini Municipality is one of the metros the president has been closely monitoring as it tackles various service delivery challenges.

A concerned resident from Umgababa, Mthobisi Shila, told the gathering that there was an urgent need for industrialization to create jobs.

“The problem is that people [in Ethekwini] are unemployed, that is why the crime rate in South Africa is so high. We need to industrialize for job creation,” said Shila.

Shila also called for clarity on the land expropriation program without compensation, highlighting the