Clive P Malherbe writes:
Dear Executive Mayor Mpho P Tau,
I am writing to you as a fellow resident and citizen of the City of Joburg. I am also the chairperson of the Greymont Resident’s Forum. The reason for my writing to you is to humbly help assist you in giving input on the state of service delivery, especially in our parks, that we value so much. I know that you strive for excellence and put a high premium on quality service to all residents.
However, we in Greymont are particularly concerned with the sub-standard service delivery and maintenance of the Carel Venter Park, a community park, right in the middle of our beloved suburb. City Parks yet again has not been able to give the service delivery over the second half of December and January.
As a result, we had to employ – at great cost – someone whom the residents have contributed and paid for to cut all the pavements surrounding the park, the whole grass area around the pond in the park and to mow pathways through the park so that residents are able to walk and enjoy the centre piece of our suburb. We have had a very good relationship with City Parks and help them maintain our parks. However, we do not have the resources to cut the park ourselves and rely on them to assist us.
I know you, as Mayor, want to present Joburg as a world-class city, but it is failing in the area that I have outlined above. How can City Parks have a policy whereby they allow all their staff, except for a skeleton staff, to go on leave from the middle of December?
How is this allowed when service delivery is so important to you and to us? In winter there is very little to do for this staff, why not have leave at this time and not at the peak grass-growing season during December and January? Every year we have the same challenge with City Parks.
You might see this problem (challenge) as not a core function of the City, but it is most definitely of huge concern and is a source of frustration to us as residents of Greymont. We are not politicians nor do we endorse any party either. What will convince us to vote for a particular party in the local government elections will be what type of quality service delivery we are receiving now. I know you are aware of the 2016 local government elections, and so are we. Please assist us in this very important area of service delivery (parks). It is in both our interests to have excellent and quality service delivery.
I, with very many residents, await your assistance and communication in this regard. I invite you to meet with me in Greymont to see how we may better work with you and your structures that serve all communities, including ours in Greymont.
Editor’s note: Letter published unedited.
