Despite complaints of poor service delivery piling up against the ANC-led Tshwane
Council and its local representative, ANC Cllr Naeem Patel, the ANC is asking residents to vote for them in the forthcoming local government elections to give them another 5 years to run the Tshwane Council.
This follows yet another week with residents complaining to the Laudium Sun concerning poor service delivery.
In one of the many complaints received, residents of Ada Street in Erasmia say they are not happy with the poor manner the ANC-led Council is effecting service delivery in the area. Residents say they have been complaining for the past 6 months about a missing drain cover, but that the Tshwane Council has still not replaced it and neither has the Ward Councillor, Naeem Patel assisted in attending to their complaints. Residents added that the ANC seems to be more about broken promises running a broken system and seemingly not interested in attending to the community’s needs.
Saajidah Gani of Ada Street, told the Laudium Sun, “We have been living with this serious problem for months and I am really concerned about the missing drain cover directly in front of my house. We have been reporting the missing drain cover to the Council for more than six months now, but nobody has come to replace it. I cannot understand why it is taking so long to replace a cover, that by being left open is clearly dangerous and can put people, especially children’s lives at risk. I have children in my house, and every time they go outside to play, I worry about their safety. The open drain is a serious danger, and I am constantly afraid that one of my children or other children passing by, could fall into the hole and get seriously injured. We should not have to live with this kind of danger directly in front of our home. It is the Council’s responsibility to make sure that public infrastructure is safe and properly maintained. We have tried to make the area safer ourselves by putting a piece of wood over the open drain. We did this because we could not simply leave the hole uncovered, especially with children all around. However, the piece of wood is not a proper solution and many times is moved, thus it cannot replace a proper drain cover. We need the Council to come out and install a suitable and secure drain cover as soon as possible. I have reported this matter several times, to both the Council and the Councillor’s office but despite all the complaints, nobody from the Council has come to resolve the problem. I am tired of having to report the same issue over and over again without seeing any action. We should not have to continuously follow up on a basic service-delivery problem that could potentially cause an accident. I am also disappointed with the way service delivery is being handled in our area. We hear the various promises made before elections, but when residents have genuine problems or complaints after the elections, we struggle to get the necessary assistance. I feel that residents deserve better service and that our complaints should be taken seriously. I do not want to wait for an accident to happen before action is taken. I want the Council to replace the missing drain cover urgently and make the area
safe for everyone. This is a basic responsibility, and we simply want the Council to do its job.”
Anthea Domingo, also of Ada Street, told the Laudium Sun, “I am very disappointed with the way the Council and Councillor are handling issues affecting Erasmia and Laudium. Residents have been raising concerns about poor service delivery for a long time, but many of us feel that our complaints are not receiving the attention they deserve. We want local leadership that listens to residents and responds when problems are brought to their attention. The missing drain cover on our street is a serious concern, yet it has been left unattended to for months. Many of us reported the problem to the Council several months ago, but the situation remains unchanged. It is frustrating to see an obvious safety hazard facing the community, yet residents must continue waiting for someone from the Council to take responsibility and resolve it. This is not a complicated request. We are asking for a drain cover to be installed where the existing one is missing. The longer the opening remains exposed, the greater the concern becomes, as it is dangerous for all those who walk along the street, especially the children who play in the area. Residents should not have to keep reminding the authorities about a basic service delivery issue, that has already been reported. I am particularly concerned about children and elderly people who use the street. Someone could easily fail to notice the opening, especially at night or when visibility is poor. We should not have to rely on temporary measures or simply hope that nobody gets hurt. When residents report problems to the Council, we expect those concerns to be recorded, investigated and addressed within a reasonable period. Instead, we are left wondering when somebody will eventually come out to inspect the situation. The community has spoken about several service delivery concerns and this missing drain cover is just another example of why residents are becoming so frustrated. We expect our local Councillor to communicate with us and show that he is taking these matters seriously. We should not have to wait for an accident before something is done. I am calling on the Council and the Councillor to attend to this matter urgently. Replace the missing cover and ensure that the street is safe for everyone.”
