Residents in Alex sip tea with councillor

Residents of Ward 108 had the opportunity to have a conversation over a cup of tea with councillor Deborah Francisco at a local park in 11th Avenue.

This was a way for the councillor to get residents to talk about issues that affect them on a daily basis.

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“As we all know, many people do not know where to report their grievances so I have thought of having this tea party so that it can be easier for them to engage with me about their problems,” Francisco said.

Residents did not shy away from the occasion and instead took the opportunity to let Francisco know what affects them.

Resident Matsatsi Mokoena pleaded with Francisco to do something about street vendors who have set up stalls on the sidewalks.

“They are blocking sidewalks and young children have no option but to walk on the road. This is dangerous because these kids might get knocked over by taxis,” Mokoena said.

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She said this had to be fixed before any incidents occur.

Another resident, Mahlatsi Mohammed said Francisco needed to do something about the conditions of the communal toilets.

“Some yards have about 10 households sharing one toilet and the conditions are generally bad. Even though cleaning schedules are set up, this does not help,” Mohammed said.

She said government needed to find a way to manage these toilets or maybe increase the number of toilets in a yard.

Drug abuse and crime rates were also a concern to residents who claimed that the so-called Nyaope Boys in the community targeted residents who head home from the shops.

They also appealed with the councillor to do something about shop and shebeen owners who sell alcohol and cigarettes schoolchildren.

Resident Tankiso Mashigo said, “We come across children who are smoking on their way to school. That is disturbing, it should not be allowed.”

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Francisco said all of the issues raised by the residents were valid and she would try her best to resolve some of them, if not all, as soon as she could.

“But, with communal issues, I would like to urge you all to resolve your issues before they escalate to big issues,” Francisco said.

She said a lot of issues can be resolved while in their early stages, but people wait until the issue is too big to control.

“Try to live in harmony with each other, by doing that it would be easier to communicate with your neighbours about these issues.”

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With the crime and Nyaope issue, Francisco said she was busy with preparations with a drug and crime awareness campaign aimed specifically for her ward. “Crime and drugs are issues that affect many people in the community, so with this, I am hoping to get input from residents on how we can go about in tackling these issues.”

The tea party was a build-up campaign to bigger events that would see residents engaging with the councillor on such issues more often.

Edited by Stacey Woensdregt