Sewerage blockages, crime, blinking traffic lights, dysfunctional streetlights and maintenance were among the issues that took centre stage during an accelerated service delivery drive in Region E this week.
The City of Johannesburg, Executive Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda together with the Members of the Mayoral Committees (MMCs), and the city’s senior officials headed back to the Region E as part of the accelerated service delivery programme in Region E on Wednesday, 25 October 2023.
Mayor Gwamanda began his visit in Wendywood, where the Ward Councillor, Lori Coogan, took him to the site where there is sewerage blockage and requested intervention from the city as the residents are frustrated by spill.
He then proceeded to the community engagement part of his visit where he interacted with members of the community at Buccleuch Shopping Complex and later held meetings with Limbro Park residents’ association and Kew Action Group, during which community members voiced their grievances and provided suggestions.
Ruggero Grech-Cumbo, the chairperson of the Kew Action Group, raised concerns about the lack of by-law enforcement, high levels of crime, nonworking traffic lights along Louis Botha Avenue, illegal building, and power failures that affect the businesses in the area.
Responding to the residents’ concerns, Mayor Gwamanda said: “We’re here as part of the accelerated service delivery programme to ensure that all historical service delivery backlogs that exist are being attended with urgency.
“We will deploy more resources to improve the infrastructure with the limited budget that we have. We have a mandate to enforce the city’s by-laws. We cannot allow the lawlessness. The city’s development planning is also here to ensure that there is compliance with building control by-laws.”
“The city’s decision-makers are here to ensure that all these challenges are being addressed. For few months that we have been in the office, we’ve been looking at various ways to generate revenue that will be equal to our growth and development in the City of Johannesburg. We are here to take responsibility and resolve the service delivery challenges,” emphasised Cllr Gwamanda.
“City Power is working hard to improve electricity infrastructure and provide solutions in dealing with the power failures in the city. I’m also pleased that residents are also partnering with us in several initiatives to improve the lives of everyone,” said Cllr Gwamanda.
Launched last month, the accelerated service delivery programme is being rolled out in all seven regions of the city. It aims to mobilise the resources to be part of a solution in addressing service delivery backlogs within the city.
The initiative also aims to create a platform for constant feedback to communities on service delivery progress in responding to their demands. The city’s departments and entities are using the programme to tackle services delivery backlog to residents such as clearing of illegal dumping sites, fixing of streetlights, patching of potholes, and enforcing the city’s by-laws to ensure compliance.
INFO SUPPLIED.
