Ward 20’s 2021 re-cap

For ward 20 councillor Jill Humphreys, the year 2021 was dominated by the issues surrounding the valuation roll.

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“The valuations have been the most appalling setback in my ward.

“Despite other major issues in the City, including failing infrastructure, officials decided to put these diabolical documents through to the detriment of residents,” she said.

As councillor for ward 20, Humphreys sprang into action when the document was released in early 2021.

She hosted 10 public meetings with residents from ward 20 and neighbouring wards.

“I added thousands of concerned residents to WhatsApp and telegram groups and I received hundreds of emails,” she said.

Humphrey’s said that at the front of her mind throughout 2021 was her commitment to the community.

“The residents need to know that there is someone there for them and that someone is willing to listen to them.

“The entire process was a moving target and someone needed to keep the residents informed.

Humphrey’s said that the flawed valuation roll put all departments under “unnecessary pressure”

“The metro’s staff were just as much victims in this debacle as everyone else.”

She added that the lack of proper record-keeping and staff compacted issues and resulted in how the objection process was handled.

“The City’s staff were thrown in the deep end and it snowballed leaving horrified residents with accumulating municipal bills because their accounts had not been flagged.”

Humphrey’s said, because of this, there was no way to stop residents from being disconnected.

“Once the account reached a certain arrears amount it would automatically be sent to the debt collectors.”

The ball is again with the municipal valuers and the company now has to send out individual notices to all those who objected.

“There was also a different group of people, who for various reasons and through no fault of their own, were not able to make the deadline for objections and these have now gone onto the supplementary roll.

She told the NEWS that the whole process had been “unspeakably unreasonable.”

The second issue Humphreys spent most of 2021 highlighting was the failing infrastructure in Bedfordview.

“Without a serious look at upgrading the infrastructure, the whole systems will collapse.

She said that while those tasked with approvals of new developments are given detailed plans for the city, they continually fail to take into account the age of the infrastructure.

“Local departments and their budgets are under constant pressure to repair broken infrastructure.”

Humphreys also highlighted the growing issue of homelessness in Bedfordview and its surroundings.

“The pandemic and resulting economic collapse will only see the problem getting worse going forward.”

Most recently, Humphreys had been locked in meeting with various provincial structures in hopes of finding a solution to the growing problem.

“There are only two privately owned organisations in Ekurhuleni that are equipped to deal with the homeless and they are limited to the number of people they can take in.”

She said that a serious look needs to be taken at local, provincial and national levels to find a solution.

Humphreys said that the recent four-day power outage in Bedfordview shed light on not only the negative but also the positive in her community.

“It showed us all that there needs to be an alternative in place for the power in Bedfordview. We need another line feeding the area.”

At the same time, she said the absolute humanity of her community shone through.

“The community of Bedfordview came together in a heartbeat to help those in need and it was absolutely heart-warming.

“The generosity and kindness of the community towards, in particular, the technical teams working to fix the power was overwhelming. Businesses went out of their way to make sure technicians on site were fed and looked after while they worked around the clock to re-connect Bedfordview.”

Humphrey’s thanked those who supported her during the local government elections and wished the residents of Bedfordview a safe festive season.

“My heart goes out to all those who have lost so much over the last year. Residents who are travelling must please do so safely. If I could give my residents one gift for this festive season it would be the gift of gratitude, empathy and compassion.”

Humphrey’s looks forward to what 2022 will bring and she hoped that all ward 20 residents return in the new year with renewed strength to take on all the issues that they may face.

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