The Mayor of the Ekurhuleni Metro Council (Boksburg, Brakpan, Benoni, Springs, Nigel, Kempton Park, Germiston, Edenvale and surrounding areas), Mzwandile Masina, must focus his attention on the serious service delivery problems in Ekurhuleni and must stop trying to impress people with pipe dreams for the future, like building a zoo and a Disneyworld.
In his oversight report during 29 July 2021, council meeting, Masina said very little about how he plans to solve service delivery problems, caused by the lack of upgrading and maintenance of old infrastructure, or how he plans to create a healthy environment for everyone who lives and works in the Metro.
Ekurhuleni residents have been plagued by extensive power outages since the beginning of the year because the substations were not adequately upgraded and now these stations can no longer handle the increasing power load.
The FF Plus has repeatedly requested Masina to address these problems and to ensure that the Metro Council takes preventative action. These requests fell on deaf ears time and again.
In February this year, garbage disposal was basically brought to a standstill because the Metro Council failed to pay service providers and to renew tenders in time. The Metro has five dumping sites, but due to non-payment, four could not be used.
The party had no choice but to ask the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile, to step in and compel the Metro Council to start the tender processes in time.
The party would have liked to hear what measures Masina plans to implement to protect business premises against possible looting in the future.
Residents’ safety is of the utmost importance and, thus, closer cooperation with Community Policing Forums is vital in the fight against crime in our towns and cities.
The FF Plus truly values the wellbeing of Ekurhuleni residents and, therefore, the party will not hesitate to put pressure on the Metro Council to prioritise service delivery and safety.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Jennifer Glover on FF Plus
