Dear Residents of Ward 61….
Herewith my report to you, as your ward Councillor, which I have committed to regularly report during my entire term of office. Whilst we are in the process of developing a plan for our ward, in the interim, I feel that it is necessary to provide some feedback on the state of service delivery in our ward. While there has been many issues that I have been able to assist in resolving, such as power outages, water leaks and individual challenges, there are unfortunately also many issues that I have not been able to resolve or assist with. The state of Ward 61, is nothing but pathetic and the level of service delivery is almost non- existent in some cases. As an ANC Ward Councillor, I have to contend with a DA led coalition and we are already seeing signs of a council that will not be able to take critical decisions on plans and budgets which will have a direct impact on how services are delivered to our community. The City of Tshwane is currently in financial distress (having been recently rated as ‘junk status’) and the administration has suspended its entire capital budget in December 2021. The city owes Eskom over R600 million. City employees are currently on a ‘go slow’ because the DA led coalition has voted against a 3,5% increase for employees, although DA coalition partners known as ‘DA–lite’, had promised jobs and better salaries during their election campaigns. The regional administration of Centurion, which services our ward, has not been able to deliver some services (grass-cutting, street lights and potholes) due to either budget constraints or lack of other resources. There is also no solution being presented by the electricity department on the traffic signals not working for months, due to repeated cable theft. I have however been meeting with and liaising with all the relevant officials to address these concerns and will present a plan to the community in the coming month.
Progress thus far:
· On street lights:
Major arterials and intersections in Centurion have been prioritised. Thereafter, area outages will be fixed and then only will individual lights be addressed. This process may take a few weeks, but work has already commenced in some parts of our ward.
· On potholes:
Major holes will be temporarily repaired, but permanent repairs can only happen after the rainy season. We urge residents not to try and fix these potholes themselves, as it just creates more work for the teams having to redo repairs, correctly.
· On grass- cutting:
All areas around schools, all parks, have been cut and the teams are now addressing all the open public spaces. We also urge residents not to redirect workers to other parts of the area, from their schedules as this further delay’s critical interventions.
· On general lawlessness:
In our ward, regarding by-law infringements, illegal buildings businesses dumping and other criminal activity, we have engaged with the Metro Police and they will conduct regular interventions. Metro Police raids have started and hopefully these measures will curb some of the illegal activities that are now common-place in our ward. We are now in the process of establishing councillor’s consultative groups in all sections of our ward, including Itireleng and Gerhaardsville, and will also be meeting with all sectoral organisations, such as religious, sports, women’s groups, education, health & welfare institutions and the business sector. In addition, we are liaising with Metro Police and the SAPS, as well as private security firms to coordinate efforts around safety and security. Issues relating to drug abuse and women abuse are currently being addressed with the assistance of NGO’s in our community and we have already assisted in setting up support groups for addicts and abused women. A number of meetings and consultations have been conducted with burial committees, religious organisations, sporting bodies and concerned groups in Laudium, Erasmia, Claudius and Gerhaardsville, focused on the cemetery, tennis courts, education, illegal buildings, White Blocks issues, sewer related problems and land invasions. So, whilst there remain many service delivery related challenges, we are slowly organising ourselves in a manner that will allow for maximum participation in ward governance and once we have a community plan for the ward, my work will become more focused and targeted. Note that I will continue to assist with problems through the Councillor’s contact number (064 503 7483) and email Ward61@tshwane.gov.za, as well as at the Cllrs Office at the Community Centre in Laudium.
I will also be launching a programme called “TEA with Naeem”. One Saturday per month, I will host 3 x 45 minute face-to-face session, with either individuals or groups. This will be from 9am to 12 noon. You are therefore invited to request a ‘Tea with Naeem’. The first 3 appointments will be scheduled for this Saturday, 5 February 2020. (Please request an appointment via 0645037483/ward61@tshwane,gov,za).
Wishing you all the best for 2022.
