The once beautiful town of Alberton is no longer anything to be proud of.
We have joined the ranks of many failed and dilapidated towns and cities in South Africa, indicative of an incompetent council run by an uncaring equally incompetent government. We read daily of billions being stolen, robberies and rape running rampant, and electrical and water shortages being the norm of the day.
We have truly become a banana republic by its very definition, with state monopolies and corruption serving the ruling elite. Glaring inequalities are exacerbated nationally through inefficiencies, incompetence, corruption, greed and political instability but to name a few.
Excuses and apologies and well-rehearsed promises of commitments to end state corruption and further better service deliveries to all, have become tiresome.
Trillions have disappeared, infrastructure is crumbling, very few culprits have served prison time for their part in state capture. Numbers and ratios do not lie as all citizens are being failed by the state. Businesses in Alberton North are re-evaluating their commitments to our local economy.
We pay taxes for safety and security, yet have to employ additional security services because SAPS cannot fulfil its mandate to ensure the safety of its citizens, as enshrined in the constitution. We pay rates and taxes, yet have to purchase generators and buy bottled water to circumvent the lack of service deliveries.
On more than one occasion, council employees have even reversed phases during electrical repairs in Alberton North and caused massive damages to machines subsequently running in reverse when power is finally returned.
We pay a specific cleaning fee on our rates bills, yet have to utilise our staff to clean the streets outside because the council is never present.
Constant complaints about traffic and health regulation issues are ignored, telephone cables which were stolen in December in Union Street were replaced many weeks later, with no actual phone lines working.
Our company finally received our two working lines for the first time this year on March 8.
All the stop signs at the intersection of Radio and Union streets have been stolen – those of us who work in the area fear for our lives when crossing that intersection.
Raw sewerage is spilling into the streets and faecal matter lies everywhere. Many complaints and reference numbers later, and still nothing has been done.
The sewerage outside the Alberton North entry sign has been running for five days consecutively. That sewerage runs directly into the stormwater drain, right next to the Alberton Dam. Raw sewerage is spilling out all along Jacoba Road, yet the council does not tend to the issue at all.
Where is the health department, and why is the council not being held responsible for failing to provide a healthy environment? It must be noted that EMPD vehicles were parked not more than 100m from that spillage site (doing the usual road violation interceptions) and did not even report it themselves.
Potholes exist everywhere, and in some areas cones, bins and even small trees have been placed in those holes to warn motorists of the danger. What a joke.
Crime is rampant in Alberton North as drugs are peddled next to the squatter camp in Union Street. Vehicles park there continuously, yet despite informing SAPS of all the illegal activities occurring, nothing is done. Setting up more committees to complain doesn’t help and complaining about reference numbers doesn’t help. When businesses eventually move out of our area, and their taxes disappear only then will people start to take notice.
Before the tired old excuses of Covid-19 are brought to the forefront by the council, it must be pointed out that the degradation of our town started long before any Covid-19 interference. South Africa is the eighth-most taxed nation in the world, yet very few citizens seem to be benefiting from the state coffers.
To those few government employees at the Alberton Council who do help us as much as possible, we thank you for your service and wish there were more like you.
To our councillors, we thank you for your time and donation of energy and dedication – a thankless task, but one which allows the rest of us to hold onto our sanity by a mere thread.
Disillusioned resident
*The RECORD requested comment from EMM and EMPD and will publish it as soon as it is received.
