Along with this growth comes a certain level of expectation. Voters wish to see the fruit of their labour, they wish to see the dividend of the vote.
Last week Councillor Berg from IRASA saw fit to publish my cell number in regards to complaints in Meyersdal. I would like to thank him for that, because he is right if you want to get a problem sorted to contact me. What he left out, was my email address Michael@phoenixrising.co.za
I welcome your problems and comments. I will however warn you, I am brutally honest, I will tell you from the get go exactly what is happening and why I do not sugarcoat things.
I am not here to tell you what you want to hear; I will however tell you the truth as frustrating and upsetting as it can be. There are some things that I can get done quickly and a lot that I cannot, purely because the DA is not in power.
We may have won the ward but the Metro is still ANC. This poses many problems in itself; however, that being said, I am very good at what I do, so much so that even Clr Berg is publicly sending you to me.
Perhaps I am victim of my own success, because I am inundated with complaints. With the sheer volume of calls and emails that I have to answer thanks to our non-existent call centre,
I am not always able to report back to you as to the outcome. Please feel free to contact me again and ask what has been done.
I am aware of the many, many potholes plaguing Alrode and Mayberry Park. I am still fighting constantly to have the road surface replaced on the corner of JG Strydom and Camdeboo.
I agree, the beggars in Meyersdal are a huge problem, as are the hawkers. Street lights either on or off permanently is a constant headache, and the rise in crime, hijackings and robberies gives me sleepless nights.
Tree cutting, sewer leaks and flooding because of poor planning, all of these are problems that stem from the fact that the real decision makers don’t know how to.
I will continue to raise these issues and fight for them to be resolved, but as my peers note on many a front page article, this Metro has huge problems that are not going away any time soon.
You can also find Clr Michael Basch on facebook
Also read the following articles from Michael Basch
Inside Report with Basch: It is getting hot in here
Inside Report with Basch: Nkandla saga