Service delivery blues

In the past week, several Merafong City Local Municipality residents were beyond frustrated with the municipality’s slow or non-existent response to service delivery issues.

On Friday, a small group of Khutsong residents marched to the municipal offices in Carletonville to complain about numerous service delivery issues. The group, calling themselves “Merafong Concerned Citizens”, complained that service delivery in their neighbourhoods must improve.

“I know you care, but your boys and girls are playing,” the group leader, Mr Musa Khanyile, told the executive mayor, Ms Nozuko Best.

The group asked the municipality to address all unattended service delivery issues as soon as possible and prioritise service delivery.

They also asked Merafong to address sewerage problems in Khutsong, areas without electricity and the many broken street lights. The memorandum demanded that the municipality communicate correctly with those directly affected.

The group also asked the municipality to attend to unemployment and some of the issues related to it.

They asked the local government to outline their plan to empower the youth of Merafong. When there are employment opportunities, the local youth should benefit, regardless of their political affiliation. The group also asked Merafong to assist local SMMEs, no matter what the political affiliation of the people involved in them are.

They also complained that the portfolio of arts, culture, recreation and sports is not functioning and that the municipality must address the issue.

The group gave the municipality seven days to respond to their memorandum.

While the protesters were picketing in front of the municipality, other residents dropped by and voiced their service delivery complaints.

One of the most urgent issues over the past week has been ongoing problems with refuse removal from homes. Some residents complained last week that Merafong had not removed their rubbish for the previous three weeks.

This month was the third that residents had issues with refuse removal, and many had to pay private businesses to collect the waste from their homes.

Although the municipality previously had problems with its trucks, it sorted the issue out when it received eight new waste removal trucks on 14 September. As far as could be determined, the past week’s problems stemmed from community members in Khutsong stopping the new trucks from working.

Other service delivery issues reported during the past week were electricity problems after thieves stole cables in Carletonville, domestic electrical equipment that was reportedly damaged after the municipality worked on electrical infrastructure, and numerous water and sewage leaks.

“The march on Friday, 6 October 2023, was applied for and approved in terms of the Gatherings Act. The municipality is responding to the memorandum in compliance with their timeframe.

The municipality will respond to other issues that the community and stakeholders raised,” the municipality’s acting marketing and communications manager, Ms Nomonde Mahube, said on Tuesday.