Langa ward councillor dies three months after being elected

Cape Town – Ward 51 councillor in Langa, Zingisile Nkangana has died after serving just three months, after replacing councillor Nomtha Dilima, who died last year of Covid-19.

Nkangana died following a long illness, while on indefinite leave from January, after winning the by-election in November last year.

Residents said this has disrupted the provision of services in the ward, while others claimed that they last saw Nkangana’s face on the ballot paper.

Concerned resident Anele Gqasana said the late Dilima had numerous projects which assisted the community and, after her death, all these were put on hold.

DA PR councillor Zimkhitha Sulelo said there have been numerous complaints about the absence of the ward councillor.

“People expect the ward councillor to be at the office, and if not, at least the ward assistant should be there. If the ward councillor’s office is closed, there is a reason why people would be upset because they know that the office should be open.

“As a ward councillor, if you have not been around and not been active or attending ward committee meetings, people are going to feel some type of way. There are projects that you have to push as a ward councillor, but when it comes to basic service delivery, we are attending to those issues.

“We want someone to come in and drive those projects from the ward committee side, and people need to see their ward councillor, offices need to open,” she said.

Independent candidate Balise Jikolo said the community expected that the councillor would have been introduced at the beginning of the year, but that didn’t happen.

“He looked very energetic to me, when we ran the campaign, and I had hoped that, as a young person, he would bring the fresh energy into the position and vibrancy in Langa, while uniting the area and ensuring that provision of services is continued.

“The transition from the late Dilima and Nkangana has put a halt on services. There is a slow movement on provision of services delivery, but the major concern is that our area, filthy from overflowing sewage, is not taken care of,” she said.

Acting ward councillor Thembelani Sakathi said he was working with the ward committee, together with the area committee and sub-council manager, to ensure that the projects continued. He said projects were disrupted due to Covid-19.

“There won’t be any projects that will suffer on the basis that the ward councillor is no more,” he said.

Cape Argus