It is evident that the PR exercise by Cllr Patel of the ANC, about his apparent ‘good job’ as the Ward 61 Councillor, promoting the ANC-led Tshwane Council concerning so called effective service delivery in the area, is all but failing.
As the saying goes, ‘you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time,’ with residents fast realising the ineffectiveness of Patel, who has recently come to be known as more a talker than a doer.
This follows more and more residents of Ward 61, complaining to the Laudium Sun about poor service delivery and about the seemingly ‘lazy’ Councillor, who seems to be more concerned about promoting his self-interests and the interests of his friends.
In one of the latest complaints received by the Laudium Sun, concerning poor service delivery, residents of 1st Avenue, Laudium, say that they are frustrated after years of complaining to the Council and Cllr Patel (who either way should have noticed it during his famous ‘walkabouts’), about a missing high-voltage electricity box door. Despite numerous complaints, no action has been taken, neither a proper repair nor even a temporary fix has been provided by the Council. This negligence has caused growing concern among residents, especially for the safety of children, as the exposed meter box poses a serious electrical hazard.
Mohammed Patel, a resident of 1st Avenue, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “This is a very serious issue for our community, especially for those living on 1st Avenue and nearby areas. The door of this high-voltage electricity box has been missing for years and unfortunately, the Council and the Councillor have completely ignored it, even after multiple complaints from residents. This is pure negligence by the Council. They are fully aware of how dangerous this situation is, yet they have left the meter box wide open. Anyone could easily tamper with the box, or worse, a child could unknowingly touch it and get seriously injured. By ignoring this issue, the Council is playing with the lives of Laudium residents. We are tired of complaining about the same problem again and again. It’s not in our hands to fix it. This is the Council’s responsibility and they must act immediately. It seems like Cllr Patel is waiting for the Laudium Sun to highlight the problem publicly, before there is a reaction. That’s really disappointing. I believe politicians must work for the people and put the community’s needs first. Otherwise, there’s no point in holding a position of power, if they forget their duty towards the very people they represent.”
Veeran Singh of 1st Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “The door of this high-voltage electricity box nearby, has been missing for years and yet no one from the Council has come to inspect it or attempt a repair. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long to simply replace or fix the door, anyone can clearly see how dangerous the open meter box is. It’s especially risky for children, who often play in the area. If, God forbid, a child touches the exposed high voltage meter and gets electrocuted, who will take responsibility? The Council needs to stop prioritizing entertainment projects and start addressing real safety issues in Laudium. They should be inspecting every street and identifying problems like this, before something tragic happens. It’s the Council’s duty to carry out repairs. As residents, we can only raise our concerns, but we have no authority or responsibility to fix Council infrastructure ourselves. So, once again, we are left waiting, hoping this time the Council will finally fix the problem.”
Arif Mohammed, also of 1st Avenue, told the Laudium Sun, “I have seen the condition of the electricity box nearby and it’s extremely dangerous for the community. The door has been missing for years and it’s just hanging open. It looks really scary and anything could happen at any time. The Council team must come immediately to address this issue. It’s a serious safety concern and I strongly urge the Council to take action without any further delay.”
Attempts to get a comment from Cllr Patel were unsuccessful.