Mandeni municipality has begun a series of clean-up operations in the wake of a semblance of order being restored to the municipality.
On Tuesday, Mandeni mayor Thabani Mdlalose met with the local Command Council which is comprised of councilors, Saps and other departments operating in the area – this included business sectors and follows widespread riots and looting in the area.
The meeting was held with the aim of restoring peace and hopes to see to the restoration of normality to the area.
“For the past two-days, Mandeni has been engulfed by incidents of retail looting and violence emanating from the euphoria currently happening across the KwaZulu-Natal province,” said Mdlalose.
The municipality noted these events with great concern and said it was still in the process of rebuilding itself with the hopes of reinstating Mandeni and Isithebe as the breadbasket of KZN.
“We as Mandeni have made great strides, attracting new investors, restoring peace and refurbishing depleting infrastructure to ensure that the people of Mandeni have jobs, create jobs and live in a conducive environment.
“However, the recent spate of events sends us back to where we were before,” he said.
Mdlalose blatantly condemned the violent rioting and looting, urging people to remember who they are and where they came from.
“As of now, we are recovering from a devastating era where more than 20 000 people have lost their jobs. What is currently happening will create an even greater group of people without employment,” he warned.
Mdlalose urged people to ‘save jobs, and save the livelihoods of our people’ for a better tomorrow.
“At the end of the day, the very same infrastructure that we are destroying, we will need tomorrow and it would be as if government is not doing enough to support us.
“I plead with you to refrain from participating in these acts.”
In conclusion, the mayor called for all Mandeni citizens to protect Isithebe Industrial Zone and all other businesses.
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