While Cllr Patel seems to be more busy eating cake with the leadership of the ANC, seemingly to get some top position in government, residents in his Ward are still complaining of poor service delivery in the area.
Despite posting photos of himself and CPF Chair Shaheen Wahab, apparently walking the
streets of White Blocks, finding out from the community what their problems are concerning service delivery, residents in that area remain despondent with the Tshwane Council.
In one of the latest complaints received by the Laudium Sun, residents of Umber Street in Laudium have complained of having ongoing power outages for about three weeks now. Residents say that despite numerous complaints to the Council and the office of the Ward Councillor over the past weeks, the issue remains unresolved. Adding to their woes, the on-going electricity outages are affecting them even more during these cold winter nights, especially the elderly, with residents saying that they are fed up with the Council’s ‘temporary patch-up work.’
Khadja Bibi, an elderly resident of Umber Street in Laudium, told the Laudium Sun, “This is a real struggle we are facing, seemingly just because we live in the poor area of White Blocks. The power outage on our street has been going on for over three weeks now and it has become unbearable. In the middle of winter, how can anyone live without electricity? The power keeps coming and going and this has been happening continuously for weeks. It’s completely unacceptable. We are old – we need electricity to survive. We are not from wealthy backgrounds where we can afford generators or other alternatives. For us, not having electricity feels like living in a world without the sun. I don’t understand why Councillor Naeem Patel can’t get the Council people to fix this problem permanently. Maybe it’s because we are from the White Blocks and our problems aren’t a priority for him. We are forced to bath with cold water every single day. If there’s no electricity, how are we supposed to cook or wash? We’ve heard the problem might be with the sub-station in our area or the wiring, but we’re not technicians – Why hasn’t the Tshwane Electricity Department come out and fixed it properly? The electricity workers show up, do some temporary fixes, and the next day it’s off again. We don’t want a quick fix – we need a permanent solution. It’s really not acceptable. We pay our rates and taxes, yet we’re made to suffer like this.”
Another elderly Umber Street resident, Sinda Padiachy, shared her frustration with the Laudium Sun, “No one is giving us any importance or attention when it comes to the daily power outages on Umber Street. The matter is still unresolved. Every single day, we are facing electricity cuts. Sometimes the power is out for the entire day, and if it comes back, it’s only for a short time—maybe two hours—before it goes off again. We desperately need a permanent solution to this electricity problem. We cannot continue to live like this, especially in the heart of winter. All the residents of Umber Street have reported this issue to the Council office many times, but it seems like they either lack the will or the ability to help us. Elderly people like us are at serious risk. Without electricity and in this cold, we could die—but who cares? It feels like the politicians only show interest when it’s election time. The rest of the time, they’re more focused on filling their pockets and living comfortably, while people like us suffer in silence.”
Yet another Umber Street resident, Tessa Singh, expressed her concerns to the Laudium Sun, “The power outage on Umber Street is a serious problem and we really need urgent assistance. It feels like the current leadership in our community is continuously letting us down—whether it’s the demolition of the White House on Umber Street or this on-going electricity crisis, there’s a clear lack of interest from the Council and Cllr Patel in solving our
issues. We need new leadership—someone who can truly represent us and show some sympathy for the White Blocks. Our concerns deserve attention and right now, we’re simply being ignored.”
