Remember the lessons of Dukuduku

Two issues worthy of comment come to mind after reading our latest Weekend edition.

The front page lead story dealt with Birdswood residents’ fears about the possible development of a squatter camp on their doorstep in the Mpunza Hill forest where the Shembe Church held its month-long commemoration celebrations.

Many makeshift structures were erected to accommodate the 10 000 or so worshippers and house commercial enterprises during this time.

The concerns are that these structures would be left behind once the congregants have left the area at the weekend, only to be seized upon in double quick time by opportunistic parties to establish a shanty town ‘suburb’ in this conservation sensitive location.

No doubt these fears will all too easily be dismissed as paranoia.

But are they?

One should not forget how quickly the Dukuduku invasion outside St Lucia turned the pristine forest into a wasteland as a result of weak-kneed authorities

failing to respond timeously and decisively to the developing crisis. A point of no return is rapidly reached.

Many similar examples dot the South African landscape.

A senior Shembe official gave the assurance that all structures would have been removed at the weekend after the closure the celebrations on Friday.

This will tested today – if not monitored by the uMhlathuze Municipality or even the MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs and Rural Development, Meshack Radebe, who were involved in earlier negotiations about the protection of the forest – than at least by the Zululand Observer.

The second issue relates to the Mandlazini community who is ‘turning away’ municipal contractors appointed to carry out essential services – this after the community’s recent destructive protest action about lack of service delivery.

Surely the sensible thing to do is to allow service delivery to continue in the interim while dispute resolution about other outstanding matters between the parties carry on?

But then, in South Africa we know there is likely to be other agendas at play, so the question should be placed at the door of the protest ringleaders.