COMMUNITY members and councillors hope to bring a positive change to the area in the New Year by working together.
A Queensburgh community meeting was held in late December, the purpose of which was to form ward committees and find solutions to issues such as crime and service delivery.
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“We want to get to a point where the community reunites and assists each other however they can. Rather than putting the weight of the world on one person, we can all try to assist. People are often too quick to point out what is not done rather than help out. We hope to build a partnership with people who care to bring about positive changes to the community,” said the ward 65 Sports Federation chairperson, Jan van Biljon.
Residents who attended the meeting said they believe that it is important to form committees that work with the neighbourhood watches. They hoped to build a relationship with residents from the informal settlements as well.
“The community needs people who are willing to go the extra mile to assist other residents. More people need to be active in the community to build stronger relationships,” added Van Biljon.
The ward 65 councillor, Samantha Windvogel, and the ward 63 councillor, Chris van den Berg, attended the meeting and gave their full support to the proposed plans.
“We want to be a team and not oppositions. Every initiative starts with one step at a time. Eventually we will get to the point where we need to be,” said Sash Singh, a human rights activist.
Residents also hoped to establish a ward committee that represents the communities, which they feel are not given a voice. “The 10 ward committee members who assist councillors should be elected by the community. Committee members should also be transparent and represent all of the areas,” claimed Van Biljon.
Windvogel said, “The process of electing a ward committee is the same as an election and candidates will have to reside in the ward. Each of the council members has a key responsibility that they need to take accountability for. The community needs to be active as well.”
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