“It is not the first time I’ve had the privilege to attend a council meeting, but I am honoured, once again, to be part of Council as I do attend with experience,” said councillor Alison Roberts.
A Kensington resident, Roberts is not new to the business as she was a councillor in 2006. This time, she is a proportional representative (PR) councillor. PRs are chosen based on the proportion of votes their political party receives in the elections. “PR councillors are directly accountable to the political party that put them on the list. We are allocated wards, where we assist our electorate and are there to drive the agenda and policies of the party we represent,” she explained.
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Roberts has been allocated to Section 79 on the committee for Environment, Infrastructure and Service, which includes the work of environmental management, Pikitup, City Power and Joburg Water. “Our duties include interrogating the reports submitted to the committee and we conduct oversight visits where necessary,” said Roberts, who has been involved with the community for years and understands the challenges they face on a daily basis. One of the issues close to her heart is people living in informal settlements. “One of the things I learnt during my early years as a councillor, was how privileged one is to have all their basic needs met. As I became exposed to people living in informal settlements, with all the hazards and challenges – but still living life to the fullest – I was touched and looked at life differently; I learnt a lot from those communities.”
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She said she has never looked back after discovering informal settlements and continues working closely with the communities, helping them when they are in need. “I try to assist in the case of any disaster, such as shack fires, and I always appeal to communities to donate clothing and other household items, which they could keep on standby for such emergencies,” she explained.
Roberts said she is looking forward to serving the community again, putting them first. She will keep on trying to make a difference. “I find serving others immensely rewarding, even though there are, sometimes, limitations to the difference I can make – but I will never give up trying,” she concluded.
Details: Alison Roberts 071 876 5029.
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