Johannesburg - The row that erupted on Monday between City of Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba and the Alexandra community after he accused protesters and leaders of being intoxicated which led to the disruptions of the IDP meeting at the Marlboro Community Centre, continues.
The mayor now claims he had proof that they were drunk.
Meanwhile #AlexTotalShutdown leader, Sandile Mavundla dismissed the claims.
Mavundla said: "The mayor must not make up false accusations. None of us were drunk. If he says he has proof he must test us... I have never even tasted alcohol," he said.
The City of Joburg said the disruption of the Alexandra IDP session on Monday evening was a clear demonstration of the thuggery that has characterised the ANC’s hijacking of legitimate community grievances.
“It is two decades of ANC failure, broken promises and rampant corruption which, ironically, they now seek to use against the multi-party government in Johannesburg.
"The City of Johannesburg was committed to engage the legitimate concerns of the people of Alexandra during the IDP session.
“Soon after the meeting started, a group of people aligned to the #AlexShutDown movement, began disrupting the meeting.
"Even after the memorandum of grievances were handed over, the disruption continued. It was clear that they didn’t want ordinary people to speak, and they did not want the government to listen. Their only interest was in preventing this engagement from taking place,” said Mashaba.
He said the actions of these “thugs” are silencing the voices of ordinary people in Alexandra, whose lives and experience have not improved under democracy in South Africa.
“The City of Johannesburg remains dedicated to ensure that the needs of Alexandra are catered for in the 2019/20 budget and that we can work together to undo the broken promises, failed delivery and rampant corruption of the last 25 years,” he concluded.