MEC's Shallcross visit scuppered after gunshots heard
KwaZulu-Natal Human Settlement MEC Siboniso Duma's planned visit to Shallcross has been scrabbed.
He was visiting a plot of state land south of Durban, where the department plans to build houses for the April 2022 flood victims.
Spokesperson Ndabezinhle Sibiya says they were advised to leave the area immediately after more than five gunshots were fired on Monday morning.
"We have no alternative but to report this to the police because we believe that this is nothing but a provoke and intimidation against us as we are doing everything in our power to assist community members that have been affected."
The Shallcross Ratepayers Association recently sent a letter to the department, asking for the project to be paused until there has been proper consultation and participation.
READ: Shallcross leaders demand pause on housing project
Sibiya says that while most residents have welcomed the pending project, some have resisted it.
"There are planned meetings involving the MEC as well as the Mayor of eThekwini to deal with the issues that have been raised by certain members of the community. They've raised genuine issues such as access to water and electricity and the whole issue of the drainage system has also been raised," says Sibiya.
"However, at the very same time, there are certain members who have openly expressed what we can describe as a racial undertone, who has said the houses will bring crime to the area. They have said they will do everything to deal with any project."
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