Mangaung shutdown audio clip ‘outdated’

Staff Reporter

A member of the Mangaung Community Concern (MCC) which organised last week’s shutdown of the Free State capital has dismissed an audio clip doing the rounds on social media about a protest supposedly happening this Tuesday, saying it’s an old recording.

Temba Zweni, who is mentioned in the audio, told The Free Stater by telephone on Monday evening that he was aware of the audio but dismissed it as outdated.

“That audio clip is old,” he said.

“I am aware of that clip that has gone viral on social media but it’s outdated.

“That person said those things last week when we were organising last week’s protest. It’s not something new.”

People in and around Mangaung started panicking late Monday afternoon when the audio was shared on social media.

Some had started making arrangements about not going to work or sending children to school as they were worried there could be violence with some streets blocked like what happened last week.

Last week Zweni told this publication that the shutdown had been suspended to allow Mangaung Metro to implement some of its demands before meeting with them again on Tuesday for a review and to map the way forward.

He said thereafter, the MCC would engage community members giving them feedback from council and see if people were happy.

One of the key demands made by the MCC when the provincial government intervened was that they wanted city manager Tankiso Mea suspended to make way for an investigation into his alleged misconduct and maladministration.

This has since happened.

Mea was suspended on Friday evening during a special council meeting.

The head of department for local economic development in the municipality, Teboho Maine, will act in his position.

The MCC also wants the municipality, among other things, to urgently improve service delivery, improve access to business opportunities for residents, implement sound management in municipal affairs, improve access to land and deal with corrupt and aloof metro officials.