DA councillor scolds residents

A DA councillor has told residents from a section under her ward that they were not a priority as they did not vote for the DA.

Residents from Nomzamo and Asanda Village, in Strand, have been complaining about the lack of visibility of their new ward councillor.

Responding to the residents, Chantal Cerfontein told them that Nomzamo and Asanda Village were not the only areas under her ward.

“There are other parts that need my attention (the parts that actually voted for the DA and didn’t stay away),” read the comment from the councillor.

Asked about this, the councillor did not deny the words.

“Those were the exact words I used; yes, it was in reference to the news article published in your newspaper right after the elections, where the candidate of the ANC, Mandla Geja, himself admitted that their supporters didn’t come out to vote.”

She was asked if she would apologise to the residents, as she was a councillor for everyone in her ward irrespective of whom they voted for.

“I can unfortunately not apologise and I do not take it back. The fact that the residents took to my personal Facebook page: I find them to be disrespectful and they overstepped. There are boundaries and that is not how I do business. Any complaints and queries need to be filtered through my office.”

Cerfontein does not have offices at the moment and uses sub-council offices while the council interviews potential new staff.

It is the first time that ward 85 is under the control of a political party other than the ANC.

Resident Sibabalwe Mnyamezeli said there was a fire on November 22 last year and the councillor was nowhere to be seen. “It was difficult to reach the councillor and we had to ask another councillor from the adjacent ward to assist the community.

“When we finally reached her, she made it clear that we were not her priority as we did not vote for her party and other people chose to stay away.”

Ward 86 councillor Xolani Diniso said his office had been inundated with calls from people seeking service delivery assistance. “As the councillor of ward 86 I am duty-bound to service people of Ward 86, but as a person who grew up in Lwandle, I fully understand the pain of people of ward 85 of having a forever-absent ward councillor who, at one stage, said she would actually serve those who voted for her political party, which is the DA.”

He encouraged ward 85 residents to approach the office of the Speaker for assistance.

Cerfontein said residents needed to understand Rome wasn’t built in a day. “I have 29 years of damage to repair as the DA councillor for the ward. Residents must be patient; work with, not against me, and even those who did not vote for me must be respectful.”