In addition to the stress of the lockdowns due to Covid, resulting in job losses and a weakening economy that has negatively affected many people in the country, including local residents, residents of Laudium continue to face other ongoing stresses. Laudium residents continue to be worried about the high crime in the area and the continuous poor service received from the various government and local authority departments. If it’s not water cuts, then its electricity cuts, or open manholes or the unkempt surroundings or the increase in nyaopes coming into the area looking for food and money, at times even stealing anything they can get their hands on, from residents.
The one complaint that keeps on being raised by residents, is the poor service rendered at the Council Offices at the Laudium Civic Centre. Residents have, for long, been complaining about rudeness by certain staff members and the place often being closed without any prior warnings or notice to residents. Residents have often asked why they cannot get SMS messages stating that the office is closed for whatever reason, just like they quickly get messages to say that their accounts are in arrears, instead of driving all the way to the Civic Centre only to find that the offices are closed.
Local resident and ardent qawwali fan, Imtiaz Mohamed, (Moochar) of Cuprene Street, vented his frustrations, last Friday, to the Laudium Sun, concerning poor service at the council office. He explained, “I stood like a fool outside the Council Cashiers Office from 2:45pm, because they were busy sanitizing inside. The guard outside told all of us who were waiting to get in, that we should wait, as they won’t be long. Then, at 3pm, they very calmly shut the doors. The Client Services Section was already closed for the day at 2:45 pm. I was there on Wednesday also, and the doors were closed with the excuse that they were offline. I came back on Thursday as well and again the cashiers were closed. The Client Services side was also closed for sanitizing. So, I kept my cool and exercised “sabr’ [patience] and returned today (Friday). Now, the story today is that they are offline, after making us wait outside for a while. This is so bloody frustrating. The City of Tshwane is highly efficient in sending out demands about arrears and even charges a fee to make extra money. When we want to come and pay, or query the accounts, they are so often closed. It would be very nice to get such a cushy job at the council. They close nice and early every day and are even closed every now and then. Disgustingly inefficient. If they are sanitizing, then why can’t they do it after 3:15pm (closing time)? As it is, they work very short, comfortable hours. If that is the case, then the very top management of credit control should be instructed NOT to send out Letters of Demand to the entire Laudium, Erasmia and Claudius areas. Due to their inefficiencies, they can’t expect the elderly to drive out to other service centres, outside Laudium. What I cannot also understand, is why can’t the Council at least send us an SMS to inform us whenever the client service side or the cashier side is temporarily closed, instead of making us come all the way to the offices, only to find that they are closed? It is a huge waste of time. There are a lot of elderly people who have to walk to these offices and also it is a waste of petrol for those driving. The Council seemingly does not care for the concerns of the community.”
Councillor Mahomed Essop, said, “The Laudium Customer Care Centre was offline due to the vandalized and damaged fibre and power cables. ICT escalated the matter to the Electricity Dept.”
