Letter sent to Cllr Patel
Good evening Councilor Naeem Patel. This correspondence is a follow-up to the initial communication sent to you on Friday, 06 June 2025. We have not received an official written response to our requests below, nor have we received any notification about a meeting with the Ward 61 community to discuss the proposed demarcation. Can you kindly send us a response as soon as possible with clarification on the clarity seeking questions as per the initial request and also confirm a date and time for a meeting with the community. As indicated, the public participation meeting is on 20 June 2025 and our residents would like clarity on the demarcation and the impact for Ward 61.Your soonest response will be appreciated. Kind regards.
not only ignoring the correspondence sent to him, but also insulting the forum.
Considering the clarification of the Ward demarcation, as per the communication of 06 June 2025 by Councillor Patel, we respectfully request further explanation and details on the following matters:
- Lack of Community Engagement Prior to Proposed Demarcation Changes. While we understand that the Ward Councillor does not have the authority to alter demarcations, it remains the Councillor’s responsibility to facilitate open dialogue with the community. Councillor Patel should have convened a meeting with Ward 61 residents to discuss the proposed changes, provide essential information, and allow community members to raise concerns or ask clarity-seeking questions. Why was such a meeting never called? Furthermore, on 16 May 2025 at 18h14 you communicated, through the Ward 61 Service Delivery group, that there were several initial proposals and rejections made as follows:
- The initial proposal to the Council for Ward 61 was that Itireleng, Ext 2, and Ext 3 would fall under Atteridgeville, and all voting districts in Mooiplaats would fall under Ward This proposal was rejected.
- The second proposal suggested that the Ward would remain the same, but Taj Street and the right-hand side of Himalaya Street would fall under Atteridgeville, Gerhardsville would move to Ward 48, and all voting districts in Mooiplaats would fall under Ward This proposal was also rejected. When were these proposals made, who submitted these proposals and who rejected them?
2. Postponement of the Region 4 Public Participation Meeting. The demarcation public participation meeting for Region 4, including Ward 61, was originally scheduled for 21 May 2025. Residents were informed of the postponement at 18:47 on 20 May 2025. Considering Councillor Patel did not meet with Ward 61 residents in advance, those who may have attended the postponed meeting would have lacked sufficient context to participate meaningfully in discussions on the demarcation.
3. Statement Regarding Informal Settlements. Could you please clarify your statement: “No additional informal settlements will be added.” Specifically, we seek clarity on how this applies to the current demarcation discussions and the status of Mooiplaas.
4. Information Requested Regarding Mooiplaas: To better understand the implications of Mooiplaas’ inclusion in Ward 61, we kindly request:
- Confirmation of whether Mooiplaas is formally recognized as an established settlement.
- A description or map of the official geographical boundaries of Mooiplaas, particularly the area surrounding The Springs of Living Waters Church, as this appears to be central to the voter district.
- The estimated number of residents currently living in Mooiplaas.
- Both legal and illegal residents.
5. Ward 61 Budget Constraints and Implications Ward 61 currently encompasses a population exceeding 65,000 residents, including the Itireleng informal settlement. The existing budget allocation is already insufficient to support current service delivery needs. Communities like Laudium, Erasmia, Claudius, Christoburg and Gerhardsville, are formally established areas that primarily maintain infrastructure through their own means. The potential exclusion of Gerhardsville (a rate paying community, contributing to the revenue and budget allocation of Ward 61) and the addition of Mooiplaas, with its associated infrastructure and service delivery requirements, will inevitably strain the Ward’s already limited resources. We are concerned that the disproportionate demands of an additional informal settlement will significantly disadvantage existing communities whose service delivery needs are already unmet. As the Ward Councillor, you should invite the community to a formal and urgent meeting with the residents of Ward 61 to discuss the proposed demarcation plan. This meeting should take place before Friday, 13 June 2025 so that the residents have sufficient time to prepare for the Public consultation meeting on 20 June 2025.We look forward to your timely and transparent response so that residents can better understand the future of their community and participate effectively in a democratic process.
Kind regards -The Concerned Community Forum
