Ward councillor elects left in limbo?

MIDRAND – Councillors share their thoughts on the delay of the council seating after their were awarded councillorship, following the November 1 local elections.

Ofentse Ditlopo

November 27, 2021

WARD 112 WINNER LERATO MPHEFO: My work continues. As much as I am councillor elect, I was the previous councillor for Ward 112. The tricky part is the boundary changes, a part of Ward 112 has gone to Ward 92, and residents in Country View think that I am still their councillor. Escalating queries to Eskom is a nightmare, there are daily outages, especially in Summerset and Blue Hills.

The City of Johannesburg’s inaugural sitting of Council for the 2021–2026 term was postponed due to the three-day water shutdown which took place from November 15 to 17.

This had an effect on many councillors as they could not solve the problems of their residents until they will be sown in.

The Midrand Reporter approached our local councillor-elects in wards 96, 132, 112 and 110 to hear how this has affected them and their work, and this is what they had to say. The councillors were sworn in on November 22 and 23.

WARD 132 WINNER CHARMAINE NGOEPE: It makes it difficult unless officials that were there before the elections are there to help us, there is nobody to send our queries to.
We are in limbo, residents have not stopped sending us mail, we hope residents understand there is not too much we can do until councillors are sworn in.

WARD 92 WINNER CHARMAINE NGOEPE: Assisting communities with service delivery issues is something that I have been doing even before being elected, and I continue to do so.
Especially in electricity and welfare-related issues. Challenges currently are projects, housing issues that are happening, and I cannot do anything about them up until I’m sworn in.

WARD 110 WINNER ANGINAH MPHAHO: I have been serving the community as a volunteer for while. Yes, there is frustration, more so because there is no political head to direct the admin to respond effectively. However, the good thing is being open to communication and being able to direct members of the community to the relevant office.

How does not having an official councillor affect you as a resident? Please share your thoughts on our social media platforms.

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