Complaints concerning poor service delivery at local level continue to pour in with residents saying they are now fed up with the Tshwane Council as it seems that the Council is not interested in the complaints of Laudium residents.
This follows a number of complaints including non-functional street lights, rubbish dumped all over the area, the ongoing water and electricity cuts, etc. In one of the latest complaints that the Laudium Sun has received, residents of Jewel Street, Bengal Street and other parts of Laudium have expressed anger regarding the street lights which are left switched on during the day and remain off during the night and in some cases street lights are on for 24 hours day and night.
70-year-old pensioner Sarah Daya from Banaras Avenue in Laudium told the Laudium Sun, “To buy prepaid electricity is very expensive and I use most of my monthly grant money to buy it. What is frustrating is to see the street lights in our area on for 24 hours. If the Council didn’t
waste this electricity during the day, they could have reduced the amount we pay for prepaid electricity. By keeping the street lights on during the day, we as consumers in the area are paying for that electricity. It is very frustrating to see electricity being wasted, whilst I am struggling to buy electricity.” Sarah added, “The Council is aware that they are wasting electricity as many people have complained to them. They are always preaching that people should save electricity, but they are doing the opposite. I just hope that through your paper, the Council will send their workers and fix the problem of the lights remaining on day and night. Bengal Str seems to be the worst area when it comes to the street lights which are left switched on during the day. Some of the street lights have been on for weeks now.”
40 year old Uvele Bufela of Jewel Street said most of the street lights on Jewel Street have been left on for weeks now. I don’t know what the problem is and what is causing these street lights to be on during the day, I think they need to reset the timer. I urge the Council to do something to solve this problem. Electricity is being wasted and at the end, we the consumers will have to pay for it, that is why all fees for services are going up and up each time.”
42-year-old security officer at Al Huqq Musjid, Salim Pillay, said that most of the street lights next to the mosque have been left on for a few weeks now. I heard that each street light which is left on during the day can provide free lights for more than ten houses. By these street lights remaining on during the day, a lot of electricity is being wasted. We have called the Council many times to report the street lights remaining on, but nothing is being done about it. It looks like the Council is not worried about Laudium. If the Council cared for the people of Laudium, they
would be having at least one patrol vehicle to check what is happening in the area. The patrol vehicle would have seen that the lights are on and would also see all the illegal dumping in the area, which creates a bad smell and is unhealthy for the people living in the area.”
