Tempers flared at Harare square when a group of angry residents forcefully shut the offices of Ward 99 councillor Bongile Ngcani on Monday February 18.
The residents, armed with placards; some of whom were wearing ANC T-shirts, declared that they had had enough of Mr Ngcani, accusing him of corruption and nepotism.
The councillor, however, has refuted the claims, and told Vukani he feared for his life.
When the residents arrived at his offices, they were informed that he was attending a meeting, so they instructed his personal assistant to lock the office.
Caron Sitoto, representative of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO) in Ward 99, claimed that the councillor had failed dismally to put their needs first and instead, had opted to take care of his relatives and friends.
Ms Sitoto added that Mr Ngcani had not held any public meetings to inform the residents about the development plans of their area and that they wanted the ANC regional leadership to oust him with immediate effect.
“We want him to leave his post. He has no interest in serving us. We instructed his personal assistant to lock the office,” she said.
Community leader, Malusi Ulana, said they were informed that the ward councillor had been renting out a community hall in Kuyasa.
He also claimed that when the ward councillor received food vouchers to donate to the community, he kept them for himself.
Mr Ulana also accused Mr Ngcani of ensuring that only people from his village of Engcobo in the Eastern Cape benefited from community projects and contract work opportunities.
He said they had already informed the region leadership of the ANC in the province and hoped they would get back to them.
Mr Ngcani, however, refuted the claims that he had been hiring only people he knows or who are related to him.
He added that he had held several meetings with the community to inform them about community developments.
Mr Ngcani said when he was elected in 2016, he had been in the position of ward councillor for only six months when people were already calling on him to resign, which he says was part of an ongoing campaign to oust him.
“My life is at risk,” he told Vukani. “I have informed the City and my leadership. The office would be open. All of these allegations are unfounded,” he said.