Chief whip of council Clr Jongizizwe Dlabathi has warned against the illegal occupation of municipal land and houses, saying local government must act swiftly against the perpetrators.
Dlabathi was speaking through the Ekurhuleni Syndicate Broadcast hosted by the metro’s Communications and Branding Department in Bedfordview last Thursday.
The syndicate broadcast is engineered by the metro with the aim of ensuring a broader engagement with the wider society of Ekurhuleni, via community radio stations across the region.
The Siyaqhuba municipal radio programme is held once a month.
Recently, there have been some land grab incidents reported in and around Ekurhuleni.
In his appeal, Dlabathi advised the residents to be patient with the municipal processes in ensuring that those who have registered for houses and are already approved are being prioritised in the allocation process.
In the region, the community radio stations command an estimated listenership of above 450 000 combined.
The municipality plans to build 100 000 houses and 59 000 service stands.
“Twenty informal settlements have been supplied with electricity in 19 months.
“We have provided over 4 000 serviced stands and the results are there for everyone to see,” said Dlabathi.
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However, the callers could not miss the opportunity to raise their own concerns regarding some service delivery issues in their wards.
“All the matters raised on this platform will be reported to the necessary departments and followed-up as part of our oversight responsibility as council and councillors in our respective wards,” he said.
He further encouraged residents to be active citizens by participating in community meetings when they are called by their ward councillors.
Speaking against maladministration and corruption he said, “Without hesitation, all acts and deeds which are intentionally undermining good governance and clean administration must be responded through the established structures within council, objectively and with due regard to institutional processes and applicable legislation.”
So far, 20 informal settlements in the metro have been supplied with electricity since the new administration came into office.
The metro has 118 informal settlements and has committed to supply electricity to all of them within this term of office.
Dlabathi also attended the metro’s Press Club at Germiston Lake, last Friday, where he had an opportunity to engage with various media practitioners on issues of service delivery, governance and state coalition in the metro.
He told journalists that the current administration is presiding over a stable local government.
“Our commitment to good governance and clean administration is a standing commitment,” he said.
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