Two communities live on either side of the R102 on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast. One has double garages, pools and multimillion-rand homes. The other lives in a township.
One is heard by the KwaDukuza municipality, the other is silenced or ignored.
This is according to the KwaDukuza Organised Residents Alliance (Kora), which has called for mayor Ali Ngidi to resign after residents in Nkobongo, Shayamoya and Shakaskraal were treated differently from those across the R102 during the 2025/26 IDP/Budget Imbizo.
The imbizo was postponed and the new date was poorly advertised. Still, about 300 residents showed up on May 20. The security contingent, including Public Order Policing Unit members brought in from outside the area, was far more heavy-handed. Microphones were allegedly muted when residents raised their concerns.
Kora, which includes the keystone member, the Dolphin Coast Residents and Ratepayer’s Association (Docrra), as well as the ratepayers associations from Tinley Manor, Blythedale and Zinkwazi, the KwaDukuza Residents Forum , iLembe Civic Action Movement and the KwaDukuza Business Forum, this week wrote an open letter to councillors to raise “the wider, growing trend of disparity in municipal governance between communities to the east versus the west of the R102, beyond their geographical location.
“Deeper and more sinister practices of municipal capture and the deliberate suppression of community voices have taken root, which can no longer be ignored. In the higher income, ratepaying areas to the east, ward councillors are accountable to their constituencies. They hold regular ward committee and public meetings, where community members can voice their concerns and participate in decision-making processes.”
“Municipal resources such as taxi ranks, libraries and sports fields are open to all, promoting social cohesion and community development. In contrast, the township areas in the west are governed by elected officials who adopt a culture of entitlement. When a councillor is elected, they seem to think they've been crowned king or queen, and municipal structures are locked away, accessible only to those with the right connections. The community becomes beholden to the councillor, rather than the other way around,” said Docrra executive officer Stephanie Walker.
She said when the community in the east raised concerns or developed a petition, the municipality recognised and responded to it. But in the townships, petitions or memoranda were denied or ignored.
“Civil society is silenced, as seen in the recent imbizo where the microphone was muted, and questions from certain individuals were not permitted. The public order police were quick to remove those who dared to speak up, bearing a chilling resemblance to apartheid-era suppression of free speech.”
“Civil action in the west is met with intimidation and repression. Bodyguards are instructed to silence those who speak up, and in some cases, activists are even incarcerated for exercising their rights. This is an abuse of the criminal justice system to serve the mayor’s own ends and undermines our local democracy.”
We wanted to know what they were doing right to get assistance from the municipality when we were ignored. That is when they started helping us. All our requests and letters to the municipality are ignored yet the mayor is the councillor of Nkobongo
— Thami Chiliza, community member
“When civil society in the east calls for municipal oversight, they receive a response and action. However, when civil society in the west does the same, their pleas are squashed by the speaker of council,” explained Walker.
She said the selective treatment was unacceptable and highlighted the need for external intervention to restore accountability and good governance.
“The mayor of a municipality sets the tone, through their leadership, of how government must interact with the community. A mayor must ensure that all legal requirements to inform and consult the public are met. They have a duty to uphold both the letter and spirit of the law. The current mayor has demonstrated that he has no desire to uphold the obligations of his office whatsoever.”
“He either boycotts his responsibilities if they are inconvenient for him, as was the case with the Ballito and Salt Rock consultation, or he uses his bullies to suppress community involvement as was the case last week for Nkobongo, Shayamoya and Shakaskraal,” she said.
Walker said civil society on both sides of the R102 was united against “this injustice”.
“We therefore call for the mayor, councillor Ngidi, to resign his roles as mayor and councillor. Failing that, we call on the full council, by a motion of no confidence, to remove this mayor and elect someone who will place the necessary focus on recognising the role of the public and the importance of service to the people of this municipality.”
Community member Thami Chiliza told TimesLIVE Premium it was township residents who approached Docrra in 2023.
“We wanted to know what they were doing right to get assistance from the municipality when we were ignored. That is when they started helping us. All our requests and letters to the municipality are ignored yet the mayor is the councillor of Nkobongo,” he said.
Chiliza sits on the Docrra executive committee and is the chairman of the KwaDukuza Business Forum. “Yes, the wealthy people are speaking up for us because their voices are being heard. It’s the truth. We have supporting documents to show the numerous times we have been ignored.”
The municipality was unavailable to comment.
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