On Friday, Loyiso Nkohla appeared at the Cape Town High Court to appeal his dismissal as councillor. Nkohla was expelled last year after throwing buckets of human faeces around public areas in Cape Town. The growing discontent with poor service delivery spurred Nkohla’s controversial protest action.
Hundreds of supporters took to the streets to stand in solidarity with Nkohla in Cape Town on Friday. Demonstrators were carefully watched by a heavy police presence as they marched to the Grand Parade Station. While many marched through the CBD to support Nkohla, some appeared under the Ses’khona banner to march for housing, jobs and service delivery.
RA’EESA PATHER spoke to the protesters.
Name withheld
I don’t like what they are doing now, the ANC and the DA. DA is pushing out the guys of the ANC on the subcouncil. I am not supporting DA or ANC, I am supporting Ses’Khona [a new civic organisation].
Denver Louis, Mitchell’s Plain
We want housing and jobs. I don’t support the ANC, but we all must come together as one, for one goal only.
Mandise Vacu
We want toilets and houses. I don’t think Ses’khona [a new civic organisation] will help us get these things.
Vuyo Keller, Khayelitsha
We just want things to turn around in Cape Town, you see, because the vote is around the corner. Loyiso is in court, but they have no charges against him. He did nothing wrong.
Yanga Mjingwana
We are here to support comrade Loyiso. He was fighting for us, for the poorest, for informal settlement people. I think the state of the nation is quite clear, but the ANC must focus on some of these issues. We need sanitation, informal settlement houses and land. Five years is too little to try to change everything.
Lungelwa Cetywayo, Khayelitsha
We were here to come and support Loyiso. He is one of our comrades. No, they say what he did was wrong. It wasn’t wrong. It was right, because Zille doesn’t stay with shit in her home, but we must stay with shit in our homes. It’s our right, nobody can stay with shit at home. If you go to to Khayelitsha, you can see there may be a 5 litre or a 10 litre bucket, you must stay with that shit at home. It’s not right. It’s unfair. The premier also doesn’t stay with shit, she uses a toilet with a flush. You must just sit with shit in the house, it’s not right.
