Residents air their grievances

THE Westville Ratepayers Association’s (WRA) wish to establish themselves in the community. This dream came true when their public meeting was a success. The meeting saw the Westville Civic Centre filled with community members and leaders to discuss their concerns and to find a solution to all the service-delivery issues they have been faced with.

Held on Wednesday, 28 September, the programme of the meeting consisted of key role-players in the community tabling their issues, and alongside those members were officials from the eThekwini Municipality and councillors who are accountable for the area.

Starting the programme, WRA chairperson Asad Gaffar introduced the executives of the association, while highlighting the different roles they serve. “The members we have are experienced people familiar with the Westville area. They are serving with reason and experience. More members are welcome to join in to make a firmer alliance,” he said.

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Tim Tyaren of the Community Action Network highlighted the importance of having an organisation such as the WRA.

“We are a multifaceted organisation that engages with local government to monitor and assess the management of public resources. We started out by establishing the local division to engage with local government so we could devise ways of communication that would ultimately help improve the focus on better service delivery.”

He commended the community of Westville on their interest in solving issues in their area. “We have reached a point of degradation of municipal infrastructure, and we have to do something about it because we are directly affected,” he said.

Present at the meeting was the Palmiet River Watch, and they tabled findings on what leads to environmental degradation. Their findings included: industrial pollution; freshwater pipe bursts; sewage pollution; riverbed scouring and banks collapsing; waste disposal; invasive alien animals, birds, fish, invertebrates and plants; land fragmentation and land misuse, and poor application of legislation and by-laws.

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The Ward 24, 30, and 94 councillors were present. While some assured the community members that they are on top of things, some stated that the municipality should be questioned and held to account for all the shortfalls the community is being affected by.
Ward 30 councillor Warren Burne said the municipality is badly managed. “It has been discovered that the City underspends on maintenance, and that needs to be accounted for. The City is not coping, and this needs intervention,” he said.

Burne also emphasised that the City is not responsible for paying or maintaining private property unless it is their fault to fix.

The WRA highlighted the myths often held when it comes to reporting and getting service delivery.
“People think that if the ward is not an ANC ward, the councillor has no power to do anything. They think: There is nothing that we residents can do; the municipality will do as they please; you have to pay someone who has connections to get something done. The best solutions are to form a Special Rating Area, Urban Improvement Precinct and a Community Policing Forum,” said Kevin Allan.

Allan said an active way to make a difference is to actively report. “We are entitled to proper services; it is not a gift. Legislation makes provision for ordinary citizens to have a voice through a recognised body,” he said.

Members are invited to join the association with an annual fee of R120.