![](https://images.caxton.co.za/wp-content/uploads/sites/25/2013/11/46apvote_1035257558.jpg)
I call on all residents to exercise their democratic right to vote in the August 3, Local Municipal Elections and to change the future for all for the better.
These elections will be about jobs and service delivery, as residents will have to decide, which party or candidate is better equipped to deliver on the promise of service delivery.
Residents will have to decide if the services they are receiving from Ekurhuleni Metro are equivalent to the value of the rates and taxes they pay.
In my ward, Ward 22, the rates payment level is close to 100 per cent, while the metro fails our community with a mere 40 per cent delivery on services.
The refuse removal, road conditions, traffic signs and the rapid degradation of green belts and open spaces are in need of huge improvement.
The rapid rise in drug trafficking and crime in our area highlights the dismal performance by the metro in keeping residents safe.
Assessment rates, cost of services and the role of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) are the issues that the residents are complaining about.
In my ward, I have not met a single resident who has expressed satisfaction with the services from Ekurhuleni.
This has led to some residents being apathetic on voting and have the view that voting will not help the situation.
There is a growing number of people who do not want to vote in my ward, and while I respect their decisions, change can only happen by voting on August 3. Every vote counts and we can live in a better run metro.
Let’s take a stand against corruption and mismanagement.
Let’s make change happen. Your vote will make a difference.