Complaints against the ANC led Tshwane Council, concerning poor service delivery in Ward 61, continue to pour in, as the state of the Ward deteriorates from bad to worse.
Many residents say that crime and grime have increased in the Ward and have pointed fingers at the pair of local ANC loyalists, referred to by many as ‘Changoo and Mangoo’ saying that Ward Cllr Naeem Patel and CPF Chair, Shaheen Wahab should take responsibility for the Laudium area turning into a slum. Residents accuse the pair of being more focussed on taking photos and promoting themselves with cheap and misleading publicity, instead of rolling up their sleeves and being more concerned about serving the community.
This follows yet more complaints of poor service delivery against both the Police and the Tshwane Council, one of the latest being yet another complaint of a blocked manhole, this time on 19th Avenue, Laudium. Residents in the area told the Laudium Sun that the blockage was noticed this past Sunday (May 11) and despite reporting the matter to the relevant authorities at the Tshwane Council, days later the complaint has still not been attended to. The blocked manhole has not only resulted in a huge leak of raw sewage flowing onto the streets and in front of homes in the area, but has resulted in drains of private homes also becoming blocked, causing the flow of this dirty water into private yards, posing a serious health risk to residents, to say nothing of the terrible stench. However, despite residents pleading with the local Council to urgently attend to the blockage, days later the drains still remain blocked.
Silvie Chetty of 19th Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “The manhole drain issue initially started near my property, but the leakage is now coming from my neighbour’s yard as well. The situation is causing massive havoc for residents of 19th Avenue. The smell is unbearable and the volume of raw sewage flowing through the area is shocking. It’s not just a bad odour – it’s actually making people sick. Children are coughing badly after coming home and many residents are now experiencing health problems. The water from the drain is filthy and we can’t even cross the road because of the overflow. We reported this to the Council a few days ago, but no one has come to fix it. This needs urgent attention. Our children can’t walk on the street and our community’s health is at serious risk. I urge the Council to come immediately and repair the leaking manhole before the situation gets even worse.”
Pedro Sequeira, also of 19th Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “The manhole drain leakage has become unbearable. We can’t even walk near the area because of the awful smell. But it’s not just the stench — there’s all kinds of filth and waste flowing out from it. We can’t go to the shops or even take a walk without stepping into dirty drain water. It’s a terrible situation and I’m urging the Council to come and fix this problem as soon as possible. It’s unacceptable that this has been going on for days and still hasn’t been resolved. How are we supposed to live like this?”
and waste flowing out from it.”
Dorothy Naidoo, another resident of 19th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I’m really sick and tired of the poor service delivery, especially in the White Blocks area. It feels like the Council doesn’t even care about what we’re going through. The manhole drain in our area needs to be fixed immediately. The smell is unbearable — it makes me feel physically sick every time I walk past it. The Council needs to take this seriously and address the issue without any further delay.”
*The Laudium Sun called the Tshwane Council this past Wednesday (May 14) concerning the blocked manhole and we were assured that the matter will be given their urgent attention.