An ANC ward councillor in Bloemhof, North West, has been attacked by community members for failing to conduct a fair selection for people to be hired for a road maintenance project.
Ward 4 councillor Willie Adams had to flee for his life on Thursday when knife-wielding residents chased him out of the stadium. This was where they were supposed to choose 10 people to work on the project.
The incident was captured in a video circulating on social media.
According to a community member who wished to remain anonymous, the councillor was undermining them.
“He’s arrogant and doesn’t see us as humans. We chose a raffle method to pick people because we wanted the process to be fair.
“Just when we thought we were finished, he told us he was going to add two more people to the list. What was the point of the raffle in the first place if he then added his people?” she asked.
Community feels undermined
The residents say that they began attacking the councillor because of their animosity and unresolved issues with him.
“At first he wanted to fight back, and that made us very angry. So we showed him that we elected him and we can take him out of that position,” another resident said.
Lekwa-Teemane Local Municipality speaker Mpho Pilane condemned the incident.
“This did not sit well with us because ordinarily if you are a public representative, you have to represent the community. But you have the same community attacking you, there is a serious problem,” he said.
Pilane said residents must learn to deal with their problems in a peaceful manner.
“It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable the community is, but the way they behaved yesterday was wrong. I suspect it was a bunch of individuals who disagreed with the councillor. But we discouraged the situation. They had knives and were chasing him, imagine?” he said.
Council Speaker condemns attack
He said when local councillors recruit workers, they typically allow community members to determine the hiring process.
“Sometimes they choose a raffle. Other days they opt for ward committee members to determine or identify people who are going to be employed. Or what system should be used,” he said.
He suggested that councillors should be protected.
“If we hire bodyguards, they will say we are wasting their money. …Now that we are in office we are coming with a bodyguard, so it’s not easy for us,” he said.
Councillor still shaken
Adams refused to comment. “I am not sure if you are one of my attackers or what. So I am not going to give you a comment telephonically,” he said.
The North West ANC spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
The provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone, confirmed the incident. He said Bloemhof registered a case of intimidation following the incident.
“The case is still under investigation. Information at our disposal is that he was not attacked, but intimidated,” he said.
