Once again, poor service delivery from the ANC-led Tshwane Council and failing infrastructure have residents up in arms.
This time, residents in Laudium are concerned about a burst water pipe, resulting in a great wastage of clean water.
Residents living around 19th Avenue, near the Laudium Soccer Ground, say they have been complaining to the Tshwane Council and to Cllr Naeem Patel’s office for about three weeks, since the leak was spotted around September 3, but Council workers have yet to carry out the necessary repairs, despite large amounts of clean water being wasted and running down 19th Avenue.
Dorothy Moodley, a rising voice and community activist living on 19th Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “It is obvious to me that the Council is falling apart piece by piece. I am very disappointed with the poor services carried out by the Council in our area. Since around three weeks back, I think it was the first Thursday of the month (September 3), clean water has been running from the Laudium Soccer Ground, due to a burst water pipe and despite the problem being visible for days, the water pipe has still not been repaired. I cannot understand how this kind of negligence can continue when we are talking about such an important service. I am really concerned because this is clean water that is being wasted, while many residents in our community frequently experience water shortages. It does not make sense to me that we can have thousands of litres of clean water running down the streets while residents are sometimes left without water. This is a serious service delivery problem by the Tshwane Council and somebody needs to take responsibility for it. I am also shocked that this problem is happening at the Laudium Soccer Ground, which belongs to the Council. If the Council cannot attend to a burst water pipe at a facility that it owns and manages, then I have to ask what residents can expect when we need other services. We depend on the Council to maintain public facilities and infrastructure and we should not have to wait for weeks before a simple water leak is repaired. I am just here to complain about the water because it is running from the Soccer Stadium, all the way down towards 19th Avenue. The water has been running like this for around three weeks and it is concerning to see it continuing every day. People are driving and walking past, while the clean water continues to flow into the streets. This should not be allowed to continue. What makes the situation even more frustrating for me is that residents are expected to deal with the consequences of poor service delivery. We are the people who live here and we are the ones who see these problems every day. We should not have to keep complaining before the Council responds. When there is a burst pipe, the responsible Department should be contacted, workers should be sent out and the problem should be repaired as soon as possible, but this is not the case as residents have to wait weeks or even months for someone from the Council to respond to their complaints. I also feel that our Ward Councillor should be more focused and hands-on, regarding the problems residents are facing on the ground. I see the Councillor appearing on posters and on WhatsApp groups, focusing on his election campaign, but meanwhile, ordinary residents are dealing with problems such as water leaks, water shortages and other service-delivery issues. For me, the priority should be fixing these problems instead of focusing only on election campaigning. I am asking the Council and the Councillor to please do something about this water problem. The clean water has been running for too long and it is being wasted every day. We need the burst pipe to be repaired, the affected area to be properly attended to and the water supply to be managed responsibly. This is not about politics for me; it is about basic service delivery and taking care of our community. Somebody needs to take
action and sort this water problem out before even more clean water is wasted.”
Jack Bhana, also of 19th Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “The service delivery in our community has really gone from bad to worse under the leadership of our Councillor, Naeem Patel. I am very concerned about what is happening in Laudium because as residents, we are not seeing the improvements that we are constantly being told about. The only thing I see these days is people showing off about how many things the Council is supposedly doing for us, but when I look around in the area and see what is happening on the ground, I do not see enough being done to improve the lives of ordinary residents. I am not saying that everything can be fixed overnight, but I believe that the basic problems affecting residents should be dealt with properly and without unnecessary delays. When there is a water leak, damaged infrastructure, poor roads, broken streetlights or other service delivery problems, residents who take the trouble of reporting it expect immediate action. Instead, we continue to see complaints not being attended to for weeks or even months, resulting in residents becoming frustrated. I am also worried about crime and grime in Laudium and the general poor suburb. Poor service delivery and crime are becoming serious concerns and these issues affect how people feel about living here. When residents do not feel that their neighbourhood is properly maintained or safe, it naturally creates uncertainty about the future of the area. I want to ask the residents of Laudium a simple question: if our area is being properly maintained and looked after, then why are so many residents leaving or considering leaving Laudium? Why are people born and brought up in Laudium moving out of the area and choosing to live in nearby security estates or within other communities? What is making residents feel that they need to leave the place where they have lived for many years? For me, the answer to that question should make our leaders stop and think. People do not simply sell their homes at half its value and buy homes double the price and leave their communities without a reason. When residents start looking for safer and better maintained places to live, it shows that there are serious concerns that need to be addressed. I want to see Laudium becoming a clean, safe and properly maintained community again. I want residents to feel proud of where they live and confident that their concerns will be taken seriously. We should not have to constantly complain about basic services or wait for problems to become bigger before something is done. I believe our Councillor should spend more time listening to residents and dealing with the problems we are facing instead of only constantly painting a good picture of the Council. We need to see the results on the ground. We need proper service delivery, better maintenance, stronger efforts to address crime and a clear commitment to improving the quality of life in Laudium. For me, the number of people leaving Laudium should be a warning sign. It is time for the leadership to ask why residents are leaving and what can be done to make them want to stay. The condition of our
community should speak for itself, and residents deserve better.”
