23 February 2022
Mayor Eugene Johnson accepted the petition from the protesters. Photo: Thamsanqa Mbovane
More than 1,000 protesters from small businesses in Gqeberha shut down the centre of the city on Tuesday, demanding a share of municipal business.
The protesters, from Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) across Nelson Mandela Bay, were demanding the 30% share of tenders promised in the municipal policy. The policy document states that for all contracts with a minimum total value of R6.5 million, 30% of the operational cost (total value less the cost of the capital outlay) must be assigned to “emerging micro-enterprises”.
The SMMEs say they are owed about R400 million by the municipality.
Protesters gathered outside City Hall next to Noninzi Luzipo Building, and marched along major roads, gathering near busy Summerstrand. They sang songs like “Senzeni na” (What have we done) and “Amabhul’amnyama andenz’ iworry” (Black boers make me worried), disrupting traffic.
Police persuaded the protesters to leave the area and they marched back to the mayor’s office, where Masixole Mashelele, the secretary-general of the Local Business Committee (LBC), read a petition in front of Mayor Eugene Johnson.
“Projects continue to take place in townships without the 30% allocated to the SMMEs. We are giving you 24 hours to respond positively,” he said.
Johnson signed the petition and said she would respond to LBC leadership.