uMngeni Municipality

Trampling Over Their Rights: Cartoons for March and April 2022

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As international tensions rocketed over the invasion of Ukraine, Russia reminded South Africa about its own role in the fight against apartheid. Earlier, International Relations minister Naledi Pandor called on Russia to withdraw but appeared to be then overruled by President Cyril Ramaphosa, supported by the ANC, who called for mediation – not withdrawal – creating tension among the political leadership and uncertainty surrounding South Africa’s official stance on the conflict.

Disruption in water and electricity supply in Msunduzi Municipality continued to keep both residents and businesses at their wit’s end. The outgoing municipal manager, Mdoda Kathide, admitted the city is now in a state of disaster while the Pietermaritzburg and Midlands Chamber of Business (PMCB) said it was in economic ruin.

uMngeni Municipality is owed R2,5million by government departments with most debts sitting on over 90 days. Democratic Alliance Mayor Chris Pappas, who has been vocal about money owed to the municipality, urged residents to pay their accounts “to help bring the long-waited change in uMngeni Municipality.

Opposition parties blamed the governing ANC – particularly the fumbling Department of Home Affairs – for the recent rise of xenophobia, exemplified by groups like Operation Dudula. The matter was being debated in Parliament.

There was a rapid increase in the cost of the household food basket in KwaZulu-Natal according to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice and Dignity Group (PMBEJD). “The surge in the Brent crude oil price (which is an output in everything from the farm to the plate) including the higher cost of wheat, sunflower oil and other foods and agricultural outputs which South Africa imports, will drive prices up as the conflict in Ukraine continues,” said Mervyn Abrahams, the PMBEJD programme coordinator.

Msunduzi Municipality’s proposed rates and tariff hikes were met with fierce opposition from residents who said they were “excessive” and “unjustifiable”. They pointed out that service delivery and maintenance of infrastructure had deteriorated significantly over the last several years and residents had been forced to deal with these issues themselves rather than wait for council.

Addressing the nation on the government’s response to the catastrophic floods which have devastated parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the Finance Minister had made R1billion available to go towards rebuilding the affected areas. Instead of gratitude, the announcement was met with an overwhelming cynicism with most people believing the money will simply be stolen – as had happened during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With a fifth Covid-19 wave approaching, the Department of Health said it was keeping an eye out for new variants of concern. The warning came at a time when Covid fatigue had resulted in many disregarding the health protocols that are meant to protect them from the virus.

And Then Along Came Omicron: Cartoons for November and December 2021

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After running a smooth, spirited campaign the Democratic Alliance snatched a historic victory in the hotly contested uMngeni Municipality, receiving 47% of the votes with 13 seats in the council, while the ANC had 39%, followed by the EFF with seven percent. uMngeni is the first municipality to be led by the DA in KwaZulu-Natal.

Outage turned to outrage as Eskom once again implemented load shedding with next to no notice. With the power utilities, woes showing no signs of improving CEO Andre de Ruyter came in for heavy criticism while industry, already battered by the economic effects of Covid-19, continued to suffer.

While politicians tried to make everyone believe that the coalition negotiations were being pursued in the interests of the residents in the country’s 70 hung municipalities the opposite appeared to be true. Rather than being about service delivery or good governance, they were used to advance narrow political interests to the detriment of voters.

With the reappointment of the old mayor, Mzimkulu Thebolla, and many of the same councilors there was a feeling that nothing much had changed in Msunduzi as a result of the recent municipal elections. In the same week, it was also announced that the municipality was drowning in debt, owing Umgeni Water an outstanding amount of R367 million.

The recently identified Omicron variant had fuelled a worrying surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa and is rapidly becoming the dominant strain, health officials warned. With the imposition of various travel bans to and from South Africa, the government complained it was being punished – instead of applauded – for discovering the concerning new variant of Covid-19.

Despite the fact that the majority of people in hospital with Covid-19 are unvaccinated the roll-out campaign faced continuing scepticism and resistance from a section of the public…

Minister Gwede Mantashe rubbed environmental organizations up the wrong way after saying protests against Shell’s seismic survey along the Wild Coast are examples of apartheid and colonialism of a special type.

While the holiday season should be about sending time with loved ones and doing things we enjoy, the Covid-19 pandemic continued to pose a threat to their health and well-being.

With the highly transmissible Omicron variant having driven cases of Covid-19 to record levels and with no end in sight to the pandemic, the prospects for 2022 do not look good. The one silver lining is that weekly cases appear to be on a downward trajectory.