Tonight I attended an Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting to review the IDP for the 2015/16 year.
There were representatives from all the wards present (approximately 70 people).
A good commitment from the representatives.
Regretfully, the same cannot be said for the departments from Ekurhuleni, with only four departments represented, namely, fire, energy, licensing and disaster management, with the other key departments conspicuous in their absence — even MMC Khumalo had apologised.
Such a key meeting and the major role players were absent.
We, as the ward representatives, felt it would have been a superfluous meeting with these departments not present to comment and answer.
I would love the roads department to explain why the roads are in such a poor state of repair, and why Honiball Street is a tributary of the Vaal River with all the burst pipes (the third time this year).
Where are our drain covers?
Phones not being answered at the municipal offices, poor billing and the attitude of staff could not be raised.
Street marking, the absence of EMPD officers on our roads — sadly, none of these questions could be answered as the Ekurhuleni representatives were not present and we, the ward representatives, walked out of the meeting in protest, as we felt it was an insult to us and the IDP programme.
Maybe the state of Benoni is an indictment of the commitment of the municipality to the city and the people of Benoni.
