RESIDENTS were introduced to various party candidates this weekend who will be contesting the upcoming by-election for Ward 34 at the end of this month.

The by-election comes after the stepping down of Democratic Alliance ward councillor Bobby Maharajh who had served two terms.

Ward 34 consists of various areas, including Kenville, Sea Cow Lake, Greenwood Park, Redhill, Avoca and Effingham.

The townhall meeting, which was convened by Greenwood Park resident Ravi Govender and hosted at Effingham Secondary School, allowed potential candidates from the African Movement Congress (AMC), the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) party and an Independent candidate to address the group.

The AMC was represented by Pastor Khulekani Dlamini, while the MK was represented by Thembi Khuzwayo, and Andrew Akkers was the Independent candidate.

All three candidates focused on service delivery in the area and outlined their 100-day plan should they be elected.

For Govender, the meeting was a way of speaking to the needs of the community.

“The reason we called for the meeting was to provide the residents with an opportunity to engage with the candidates and for them to outline their plans. One of the biggest issues in the ward is the state of the informal settlements. There are approximately 20 settlements throughout Ward 34, and we feel there are two levels of focus that need to be addressed. One, the indignity the residents are forced to live in, and two, the burden placed on municipal infrastructure, including sewerage, electricity and water, by the settlements,” explained Govender, who convened the meeting.

“Other issues in the ward include the state of the infrastructure, including the prolonged closure of the Firwood Pool. We also feel that the infrastructure of water pipes, substations and the general upkeep of the environment, especially in terms of illegal dumping, needs to be addressed. We also feel that, despite being managed by the same municipality, there is a disparity in terms of service delivery between suburbs,” he said.

Govender also thanked the candidates who outlined their plans at the meeting.

“We are grateful to the three candidates who participated in the meeting, and we were pleased to have their input. The engagement, I feel, speaks to the needs of the community. I urged residents to now make their voices heard by voting in the upcoming by-election. We’ve seen, in the past, that voter apathy is a big concern, but we need proper governance and service delivery. It is also crucial to remember that the post will only be for 18 months as the next elections takes place in 2026,” he said.

Date to remember

The by-election for Ward 34 takes place on August 28. The voting stations for Ward 34 are Greenwood Park Primary School, St Michael’s Primary School, Effingham Secondary School, Effingham Heights Primary School, Kenville Primary School and Sea Cow Lake Secondary School.

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