An announcement to take the National Council of Provinces’ decision to do away with cross-border municipalities possibly to the Constitutional Court was well received by Khutsong residents at a public meeting on Monday.
Sabelo Ngwane of the SA Communist Party’s Young Communist League announced the decision when he addressed hundreds of Khutsong residents at a local stadium.
The residents hardly gave Ngwane a chance to speak after he told them that the party was consulting legal bodies on the process.
They cheered, clapped hands, blew whistles and banged the tin roof of the stadium shouting ”Amandla”.
”We will have feedback on this in January when we will meet again,” said Ngwane.
He condemned last week’s violence saying it was not what the struggle was about.
”Those who are criminals and who are violent are not part of us.”
He added that the SACP would speak to President Thabo Mbeki on the re-demarcation matter and would plead with him to listen to the people.
”The president has not yet signed anything to say that Khutsong must be a part of North West. So we are going to ask him to listen to the people. We want to stay in Gauteng.”
More than 500 Khutsong residents — both old and young — attended the public meeting. They cheered, danced and clapped hands when Ngwane spoke.
”They are glad to hear that we [the SACP] have not just said we will support them and then left. I think they are happy that we are still here to help them fight this battle,” said Ngwane.
Khutsong residents have been protesting against the re-demarcation since early November.
Last week, violence erupted in the troubled township. Seventy-one people were arrested for public violence when residents went on the rampage, burning buildings and throwing stones at the police, after hearing that they would become part of North West Province.
Khutsong residents argued that Gauteng was wealthier and better able to provide services.
Police, who were afraid that Monday’s public meeting could also turn violent, kept a close watch on residents.
Heavily armed police monitored the crowd in and around Khutsong stadium.
They also kept an eye on the situation from a helicopter and armoured vehicles.
However, the meeting proceeded peacefully with the SACP urging residents not to resort to violence as the matter of the re-demarcation was being looked into.
While residents heeded the SACP’s call not to resort to violence, they vowed to demonstrate until they were told their municipality would remain part of Gauteng.
”We won’t go to North West. If Khutsong goes to North West, we will make sure that there are no elections next year,” threatened Julius Mngomezulu (39).
Another resident, Boitumelo Phagi (21) said she wanted reasons for the re-demarcation. She expected answers from Monday’s meeting about why they were being moved into North West.
”The people from Khutsong don’t want to be a part of North West. In Potchefstroom there is apartheid… In GP [Gauteng] it’s sharp, there are opportunities here,” added Dipuo Matlae (24) who was hit on her thigh by a rubber bullet on Wednesday.
Ngwane promised residents that a follow-up meeting would be held in January to provide feedback on whether the matter would go to the Constitutional Court. – Sapa