Mobeni Heights residents rally against proposed ward boundary changes
Objections to changes
Residents have objected to the proposed ward boundary change
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RESIDENTS of Mobeni Heights have expressed outrage over the proposed ward boundary changes that could impact their access to services and property values, with community leaders rallying for action
Mumsy Govender, 84, the founding member of the Mobeni Heights Women’s Group and senior citizens club, said she had signed the objection to the proposed boundary change last week.
“All of our members from both the senior citizens group and the women's group, who are aged between 60 and 90 years old, have also signed and submitted the objections. The proposal is not acceptable. Whoever is responsible for this had no courtesy of notifying the residents. We caught wind of this after messages were circulated on social media.
“Ward 69 comprises mostly elderly people. We do not even know what it means for us. Nobody explained anything to us,” she said.
Govender said information regarding the proposal was also filtered to the community through the civic leaders.
“We are concerned that we would have to access services from the Lamontville area, including the home affairs offices, police station, clinics and hospitals. Most of us travel by public transport, which leads to extra costs and safety concerns.
“We will fight this. We will march with our placards to the mayor. We will not stand for this. We are old. We just want to die in peace. But we have to fight for this at our age,” she said.
Dhayalan Moodley, 76, has been living in Mobeni Heights for 55 years.
He said he was shocked to find out about the proposal.
“Life is not going to be the same. The issue is unsettling where our area boundaries change, especially as it affects local resources and services. Thankfully, we have the Mobeni Heights civic team and the majority of the residents who are fighting this.
“We will continue to voice our concerns and fight for our community interests. We will work tirelessly to ensure our voices are heard and our rights are protected,” Moodley said.
Milly Langa, a teacher living in Mobeni Heights for 11 years, said she was thankful to have found out about the proposal before the closing date for objections.
“We found out through a chat group on WhatsApp. It is ridiculous that this proposal was to be passed without proper community consultation.
“When we purchased our homes, we chose Mobeni Heights because we knew it was a different area, which was safe and lovely to live in. It is a great community.
“Now they want to dissolve it into Lamontville, which means we did not upgrade. I was born in Clairmont. I chose not to buy a home in Lamontville, Chesterville, or Umlazi.
“Mobeni Heights is a decent suburb. There are neighbourhood watches, civic associations, and people work hard to be the community.
“How can we allow it to fall under Lamontville? We think it will affect the value of our houses. The value of our houses has already depreciated since we first bought them. This process is unfair. We are not respected as residents,” she said.