PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Kwanokuthula Backyard Dwellers, a non-political group, staged a picket outside the Bitou municipal offices in Sewell Street on Tuesday 13 January.
This follows what the dwellers say is inaction by the Bitou Municipality following a petition calling for the provision of sites and services to backyard dwellers, handed to it on 12 November last year.
The municipality gave an undertaking to the dwellers to respond by 12 January, but Welcome Tshala of the Non-Aligned Civic Movement said no response had been received by then.
A meeting had previously been scheduled between the municipality and representa-tives of the dwellers at the council chambers in Sewell Street, Plettenberg Bay for 13 January.
Democratic right
Tshala said municipal officials had requested that the dwellers not picket, but they ignored this request. "It is our democratic right to picket," said Tshala.
The "Petition of Grievance" that was handed to Bitou Acting Municipal Manager Chris Mapeyi on 12 November set out certain demands.
These included an urgent investigation into the housing allocation process, a transparent housing waiting list, meaningful consultation, and a written report within 30 days, outlining steps taken to address the concerns.
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