Ward 36 Councillor wishes residents a Peaceful and Restful Festive Season
by Cllr. Wendy Morgan — DA Ward Councillor, Ward 36
Date: 08 December 2022
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
As we come to the end of quite an unexpected year, I would like to wish all residents of Ward 36 a peaceful and restful Festive Season.
This year we’ve faced a number of challenges, with electricity outages and refuse collection being the most noticeable. I would like to thank the community members who have spent many hours standing with me at the sites where cable repairs were been done. I have certainly some of the most awesome people living in this ward. Residents go well out of their way to see how they can assist and for this, I am most grateful.
The Executive Mayor and her team have had to deal with many challenges during this year and have focused on getting the refuse collection back on track. As residents may recall, many of the issues are not new to the City. The DA has been advocating for the improvement of electricity infrastructure and the performance of the waste management department for several years. It is therefore unfortunate that the DA has now been left to fix this mess despite the warnings given over the years.
Fleet has also been a major issue facing the City. Most of the fleet in the City is over 15 years old vehicles and is continuously breaking down. This has also exacerbated the delays in waste collection and repair of streetlights and potholes, but despite these challenges, we are still seeing marked improvements in service delivery. We, therefore, urge residents to empathize and be patient with us as we work to turn around service delivery in our City. It is for this reason that we have dubbed the theme of this administration as getting “Back to Basics” in service delivery.
Residents are also encouraged to recycle, plastic, glass, and paper and make a compost heap in their gardens to assist reduce the amount of organic refuse removal deposited in waste bins. Our landfill sites are filling up too quickly due to the sheer amount of waste that we create daily. Sustainable waste management is therefore paramount as we develop as a City. Recycling is becoming more and more crucial, and we need to ensure that we recycle all waste materials that can be recycled. Residents should consider placing recyclable materials in a separate bag next to their bins to make it easier for recyclers and waste pickers who often scavenge through waste bins to obtain it. Glass can also be placed in the bins at the Rest a While Centre on cnr Shamrock and Churchill Avenue Primrose.
As residents may have seen, parks and cemeteries are receiving significant attention across the City, and this phased approach to service delivery is expected to continue, especially in terms of the pothole and streetlight backlog. The contract for the supply of cold tar has been signed and pothole repairs should start in early January 2023. In the meantime, I would like to urge residents to report potholes and forward the reference number and address to me so that we can have an extensive record of potholes reported to the department before the war on potholes campaign is initiated.
The Primrose cemetery remains an eyesore and I will continue to drive the matter to get repairs done to the boundary wall, and the cemetery cleaned up. I would like to have a Saturday in January 2023 when we as a community can volunteer to do some cleaning in the Cemetery and the surrounding area. Watch out for the invite to join in to give back to your community in service.
Also, be aware that the Municipal offices will be closed from 23 December 2022 until 3 January 2022. The call centre, however, will still be functional for logging issues, as well as essential departments such as energy and water for emergency repairs. Please log calls to 0860 543 000 or on the COE app which can be downloaded from the Playstore.
Remember that I can only escalate a service delivery issue for speedy resolution once it has been logged to the call centre and a reference number has been received.
On municipal accounts, please note that third-party payments to the Ekurhuleni accounts can take up to 7 days to reflect on your account. Please, therefore, make sure you make allowance for this when paying your account to avoid receiving a disconnection notice.
With regards to meter readings, the City has appointed meter readers who are currently reading water meters to ensure more accurate billing. To avoid an interim reading please send your electricity and water meter reading via WhatsApp with a photo of the meter reading, account number, and address to 060 621 5049. The dates to send are between the 25th and 2nd of each month. Try to send on the same date each month so that the readings are for a 30-day cycle and your charge is thus then more constant as per your usage.
Our roads are also receiving the necessary attention from the City. As you may have noticed, road surfacing was done in Stanhope Road Malvern East and there are more roads on the for as when there is budget available.
Lastly, I would like to thank the Businesses in Rietfontein road, led by Ackerman’s Pharmacy for the project to keep the Streets of Primrose Clean. Just imagine if we all took the initiative to keep the space in front of our businesses or homes clean. This would contribute to a cleaner and healthier environment for us all to enjoy.
The Heriotdale and Wychwood Business Forums are also making huge inroads by keeping the business area clean and cleaning up the pavements. I would also like to recognize and thank them for their efforts. If your business would like to join these different forums, please contact me so that I can refer you to the relevant contact person.
I would also like to thank the Primrose Community Forum and the Security companies in the area for their continued dedication shown by being the eyes and ears in our community. As we go into the new year, we should all step up and get involved in community-led initiatives. The above examples are small in comparison to what we can do as an active community.
My wish going forward is that we as a community can stand together and look after each other.
One step can start a journey, one smile can start a friendship, one hug can lift a soul and one touch can show you care.
I would like to wish you all a safe Festive Season and may 2023 be a year of peace, hope, and prosperity.
Media Enquiries
Cllr. Wendy Morgan
DA Ward Councillor, Ward 36
072 963 9675
