Residents of Ward 61 continue to complain about the ANC led Tshwane Council’s poor service delivery, despite attempts by Cllr Patel to ‘paint a good picture’ of the service delivery in the area.
In one of the latest complaints to the Laudium Sun, residents of Van Dyk Street, Erasmia, have complained about a manhole drain cover, missing for about six months now, despite Patel and his shadow, Laudium CPF’s Shaheen Wahab, a staunch ANC member, having claimed to walk the streets in the area, allegedly consulting with residents. Residents in the area complained that they are afraid to walk near the open drain, go to the nearby shops, or even let their children play outside, due to a manhole drain cover that has been missing for months. The frustrated residents said that what is more worrying for them, is that despite reporting the matter to the Council, numerous times, the Council has not taken action to replace the cover, despite the fact that the lives of Van Dyk Street residents, more so children, are at risk.
Sabeeha Omar of Van Dyk Street, Erasmia, told the Laudium Sun, “The manhole drain cover, which has been missing since January this year, is creating a lot of problems for us. I live right next to the manhole and it’s really scary because the cover is missing. We can clearly see the deep hole and we can vividly hear the water flowing underneath. It’s extremely unsafe. We reported this issue to the Council back in January 2025, but no one has come to replace the cover. We are really scared, especially since we have children and this is dangerous for other pedestrians too. The streetlights are also not working on Van Dyk Street, so imagine if someone doesn’t see the open drain and falls in. The consequences could be very serious. I have some ducks and one of them sadly fell into the drain. This is just unacceptable. The Council and the Councillor need to take the concerns of Erasmia residents seriously. We’re really tired of the Council not performing or responding to these kinds of issues. Someone from the Council must come and urgently fix this manhole drain cover before something tragic happens. It feels like the Council is waiting for someone to get seriously injured before they act. It is ridiculous that such a serious concern is being ignored.”
Another resident of Van Dyk Street, Abdul Kader, told the Laudium Sun, “This is truly terrible. How can anyone live in a society where service delivery is this disgraceful? We pay our Rates & Taxes — and look at what we’re getting in return. Absolutely pathetic service delivery, especially during Naeem Patel’s term. Honestly, during Essop’s time, things were much better. He was a good, humble person and we could feel his presence when it mattered. Now we’re stuck with a Councillor who seems more focused on showbiz, than the real issues affecting residents. The manhole drain has been left open without a cover for months. This kind of poor service by the Council and the Councillor of Ward 61 is just unacceptable. He should do his job and have the cover replaced urgently. Enough is
enough.”
Yet another Van Dyk Street resident, Shaheed Patel, told the Laudium Sun, “The Council must come and replace this missing manhole drain cover urgently. It’s been months and still nothing has been done. It’s very dangerous to leave such a large manhole drain open without a cover. The Council needs to address this as soon as possible.”