THULI NHLAPO, Johannesburg | Friday
IT was raining last weekend when the Greater East Rand Metro mayor Bamvumile Vilakazi was inaugurated at a glamorous celebration at the Kopanong hotel in Benoni. In African culture, they say the rain signals blessings from happy ancestors.
Because his name is Bamvumile, (they have agreed), it could be assumed everybody at the council, renamed the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Council (the Tsonga name means the place of peace) agreed to spend R400_000 on the party.
Traffic officers directed guests to the parking bays at the hotel. One luxury car after another pulled into the hotel, offloading mainly African National Congress officials. Ordinary residents of Ekurhuleni were bused to Barnard stadium in Kempton Park earlier in the day for their part of the celebration.
As the rain sobbed heavily down, one could not help but think of squatters in nearby Thokoza whose homes were demolished by the council just a few days earlier.
Waiting for the mayor to arrive was almost like waiting at a church for a bride in a wedding ceremony. And like a bride, he did not disappoint: an entourage of eight Benoni central policing unit cars ushered the mayor and the mayoress to their celebration of themselves. The cars had to stop right before the entrance, perhaps to protect the couple from being soaked like the squatters down the road.
A short man with a pot-belly first came into the banquet hall to inspect the room before the mayor could walk in. That was the chief bodyguard. Seven more clean-shaven men in long designer jackets and square-toed shoes followed. Those were also bodyguards.
Vilakazis speech was about people-centred and developmental local government, but he forgot to mention that more than 500 Thokoza Unit F residents had their shacks bulldozed and their belongings taken away by the private security company, Wozani.
His guests applauded when the mayor said he stopped inhumane and insensitive acts like cutting electricity for our people in the place of peace.
The mayor must love parties – this was his second inaugural ceremony. He had a party in December, but a representative of the council said the catered affair was – a normal practice for a council meeting.
The Democratic Alliance boycotted the party, saying Ekurhulenis finance committee had already proposed to borrow R100m, of which R26m would cover its operating deficit.