DA PR Councillor responds to the Service Delivery needs of the residents of Duduza
by Cllr. Patricia Mathebula — DA PR Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 20 March 2023
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
On Monday, 13 March 2023, DA PR Councillor (Cllr) for Ward 86 and 87, Cllr. Patricia Matehbula and the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) allocated to Duduza for service delivery, MMC Tambo Mokoena, met with community leaders at the Duduza Customer Care Centre (CCC) to discuss service delivery issues in the area. The meeting follows the protest action that took place in Duduza on the 1st of March 2023, where residents expressed their frustration by blocking roads and burning tyres. Cllr. Mathebula saw it important that the community leaders who organised the protest have an opportunity to engage with the leadership in the City regarding their grievances, as no memorandum or list of grievances was submitted before the protest.
MMC Mokoena accepted the grievances submitted by the Umphakathi Community Forum on behalf of the residents of Duduza as well as issues from other community forums that were also in attendance, namely the DCIC and NTA.
The Forum’s grievances included, amongst others;
• Unemployment
• Slow response times from the police department
• Unfinished RDP housing projects
• Road maintenance and upgrades
• Lack of communication, feedback, and responsiveness from ward councillors
• Lack of maintenance of recreational facilities and sports grounds
• Water interruptions and water cuts
• Power outages and load reduction
MMC Mokoena listened to the grievances as stated and committed to responding to the concerns as raised. MMC Mokoena also reassured that there would be continuous engagements between the community and public representatives in the area to ensure that they receive adequate feedback on the proposed solutions to the grievances and their resolution.
Residents and community forums alike, however, have a responsibility to keep up to date with information by forming part of service delivery and information WhatsApp groups in the community, following the City’s official social media pages and website, and reading announcements on municipal boards at their local Customer Care Centres.
There should also be concerted efforts from the office of the MEC of CoGTA and the City to educate the community on the roles and responsibilities of Councillors, as it is evident that some members of the public are not aware of the limitations of councillors in terms of their role and often set unrealistic expectations in terms of service delivery. Councillors and government cannot intervene in the business sector and cannot control the hiring practices of businesses and local industry.
The engagement also sheds light on the dark side of protest action, where the frustrations of protestors often result in vandalism and damage to much-needed community infrastructure and assets. We urge residents to explore various other avenues to relay their service delivery concerns and frustrations before embarking on protest action.
The right to undertake peaceful protest action is a legitimate constitutional right. However, protest action should be undertaken within the limits of the Constitution and be performed without breaking the law or destroying public property and community infrastructure. Equally so, councillors, public representatives and officials should be active and create spaces, where they do not exist, where residents can relay service delivery concerns and have them responded to.
The DA remains committed to ensuring the delivery of basic services and that communities are heard and adequately responded to.
Only through active and responsive governance will we be able to meet our commitment to getting “back to basics” in service delivery.
Cllr. Patricia Mathebula
DA PR Councillor in Duduza, Ekurhuleni
0815219164
