While Cllr Patel focusses on promoting himself within the ANC ranks, seemingly to get a top position in government with a ‘fat cheque’ each month, residents in his Ward, Ward 61, continue to complain about poor service delivery from the ANC led Tshwane Council.
Patel who has recently become known as a mere ‘postman’ re-sending messages sent to him and other Councillors by officials of the Tshwane Council, concerning the little work done in the area, has now gone a step further. The Cllr jumps at the opportunity to take photos with Council workers and himself when, at rare times, work is being carried out in the area by the workers. Of course Patel does not take photos of himself in front of blocked drains or long grass or rubbish dumps on streets, or the illegal businesses, which the Council takes weeks or even months to attend to, or never attends to at all.
In one of the latest complaints concerning poor service delivery, residents of Aletta Street in Erasmia have complained about a leaking manhole drain, which they say has been leaking for days, causing a terrible odour and a health risk as the dirty sewage water is running in front of their homes. The frustrated residents told the Laudium Sun that despite numerous calls to the Council, since the early part of the week, the drain continues to leak.
Suvesh Naidoo of Aletta Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The manhole drain has been leaking for a few days now. We reported it to the Tshwane Council a few times already, but we are still waiting for them to come and fix it. The smell is absolutely disgusting and to make things worse, there is faeces all over the street. We can’t even go near the manhole because of the terrible stench and even worse, dirty water mixed with sewage is flowing out. I can’t even go outside to take the dustbin to the refuse truck—the smell is unbearable. I haven’t been outside my house because of it. The Council needs to fix this immediately. Our health is deteriorating and our children can’t even play in the yard or go outside because of the awful smell and unhygienic conditions, caused by this manhole drain leakage. The poor service we receive from the Council is unacceptable.”
Frahad Osman, another resident of Aletta Street, told the Laudium Sun, “The smell coming from the manhole drain is really terrible. It’s affecting our health and the health of our children. The drain water is filthy and it’s becoming unbearable. The Tshwane Council must come and fix the manhole as soon as possible. We are really tired of this situation—every time they fix one drain, another starts leaking. The Council needs to fix it properly and permanently. If the job isn’t done properly, the drain just starts leaking again.”
Yet another Aletta Street resident, Mohammed Arbee, told the Laudium Sun, “The manhole drain in our area is in a terrible state and it’s really affecting our daily lives. We can’t even go to the shops or take an evening walk because the smell is so bad. This poor service from the Tshwane Council is unacceptable. I urge the Council to come and address this issue very urgently. They must do a proper job, perhaps even replace the old drain pipes, so that the manhole doesn’t start leaking again.”