Grass cutting remains a headache in Ekurhuleni under ANC-led Coalition
by Cllr. Amanda Davison — DA Member of the Environment, Resource and Waste Management in Ekurhuleni
Date: 01 February 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
Thanks to continual pressure from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni, dating back to 2019, the Environmental Resources and Waste Management Department has finally set up a grass cutting schedule, but only for January 2021.
An alternative list of all un-serviced open spaces and parks is currently being compiled by the caring DA, to ensure that no area is excluded from the schedule and all communities benefit.
The DA understands the frustration of residents, who have been neglected by the failing ANC-led coalition, but requests that communities refrain from cutting the grass of any municipal land as the personal risks are too high — as illustrated by the fatal bee attack on an elderly Atlasville resident in December 2020.
Residents are paying for these services, through rates and taxes, and are encouraged to continue to report the matter to the Metro and escalate it to their councillor. The DA requests correct reporting be done, to the City, as it will provide us with a reference number which we can then follow up with, should the matter not be addressed by the department.
While the ANC Coalition-led CoE has disingenuously attributed the grass-cutting backlog to the festive season break and “changing weather patterns”, the backlog this year is particularly severe, due to mismanagement by the department.
The primary reason for this is because the failing ANC and its Coalition partners have not appointed grass-cutting contractors for the full Financial Year 2019/20, while the available budget for grass cutting remains a mystery. Exacerbating the current situation is the fact that the grass-cutting policy, as well as the Service Level Agreement (SLA), are outdated creating confusion within the Department itself.
Regardless, the current SLA states that grass cutting should occur in Parks across the City every 168 hours and 30 days for open spaces, thus illustrating the extent of the poor governance and lack of service delivery by the ANC and its Coalition partners.
In addition, there are no funds available to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for municipal workers to ensure their safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DA calls on the Department to take urgent action in commencing with delivering the services they are mandated to deliver. The lack of grass-cutting is an insult to residents and is a clear risk to their health and safety. Long grass provides criminal opportunism, as well as deprives our children of the ability to utilise these open spaces for sport and recreation — the only coping mechanism available to children during the lockdown regulations.
The DA will not stop pressuring the incompetent ANC-led Coalition, until services are adequately restored and delivered. It is for this reason, that the DA brought a motion to Council, which sought the ANC appointed Mayor, Cllr Mzwandile Masina, to remove MMC for Environmental Resources and Waste Management, Ald Mabaso, due to her failures in the department, and replace her with a capable councillor.
As a caring and proactive party, the DA will not stop. The communities of Ekurhuleni deserve better!
Cllr. Amanda Davison
DA Member of the Environmental Resource and Waste Management in Ekurhuleni
