Councillor approaches city manager

Clr Da Rocha is again demanding that city departments provide the services residents are paying for.

He said he recently held a public meeting with Pikitup officials to highlight problems such as the lack of street sweeping and dumping. He said he provided photographic evidence of service delivery breakdowns to the officials and was promised better service delivery in the future, but this has not happened.

“The meeting was a waste of time. Pikitup is not performing according to standards. Their work is below substandard,” he said.

He raised concerns about Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ), stating that he has to constantly complain about grass not being cut.

“Eventually, when I do get them to perform their duties, I am left with grass cuttings in piles, lying around. This grass is not picked up. Tree branches that are cut lie around for weeks, creating a dumping environment. There is also a lack of park monitoring,” he said.

He added that action from the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) is just as bad.

“There are broken pavements and storm water drains in my ward and there is no clear indication of them being repaired. There are missing storm water covers and roads are falling apart. Pavements which were dug up have not been reinstated yet,” said Clr Da Rocha.

He also raised concerns about the recently repainted street names that were incorrectly spelt.

Clr Da Rocha is also demanding law enforcement. He said truck drivers are parking wherever they want, especially on pavements, and destroying them.

As a result, storm water drains are being damaged. He also called for action against people who are leaving building rubble and other materials on the pavements, leading to pedestrians’ views being obstructed.

“Illegal taxi ranks are increasing. No action is being taken against illegal mechanic workshops operating from private residences and panel beaters creating noise and chemical pollution for the neighbouring residents. There is no clear indication of these transgressions being dealt with decisively,” he said.

He told the city manager that he, as a councillor, has the right to complain about service delivery. He said he reports problems through the correct channels, however this is not yielding results.

The EXPRESS forwarded an enquiry to all departments mentioned by Clr Da Rocha. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.

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