Housing crisis in Area 11 is a legacy of broken promises

The housing crisis in Area 11 didn’t start with executive mayor Babalwa Lobishe. The rot dates back to the days of Mongameli Bobani, Athol Trollip, Retief Odendaal and Gary van Niekerk. To dump all of it at Lobishe’s door now is not just misleading — it’s politically convenient.

I’ve listened to residents and committee members in Gunguluza Area 10/11. So if we’re going to talk about unfulfilled promises, we need to talk about who made them, when, and with what authority. Which brings us to the sudden interest shown by Odendaal and his circle in Area 10/11.

I don’t know how many DA councillors there are in Kariega, but I’ve yet to see a single one of them when KwaNobuhle’s sewers run through the streets, when taps run dry for days, or when electricity outages drag on for weeks. I have seen the six ANC councillors going up and down facing angry communities. I have seen Lobishe arriving as early as 8am to talk to the taxi associations following the Kariega shutdown.