For Ward 74 councillor Dave Fisher, the year 2020 has been a defining period in our recent past. “Covid-19 has had an impact on all aspects of our lives and our society, and generally we are surviving. Many of us have lost family and friends to Covid-19. We have lived through the fear and uncertainty. We still have lots of challenges to face but I think we have grown to accept and manage the pandemic.”
He added that residents have had to change their fundamental behaviour. At the same time the economy, the workplace and many other trusted and familiar pillars have shrunk and become difficult to navigate.
“As a ward councillor I have seen the impact of this on all of us. Municipal service delivery has been strained and is still under severe pressure. Power and water outages have been frequent and long-lasting. The potholes in our streets are slowly being attended to but many in major arterial roads remain a danger to motorists.
“Parks and public spaces have been invaded by displaced people, with the accompanying social, environmental and health risks. Gardening services and maintenance were suspended for a long time. Billing issues increased during the lockdown due to estimates being used, staff being unable to work and the general financial pressure on us residents.”
Fisher added that on the positive side, many residents have been proactive in engaging with the problems and challenges. They have reported and monitored problems and issues and worked actively with him to resolve them. The councillor said private-public partnerships have been established and meaningful improvements can be seen in the parks.
One of the councillor’s areas of focus during the pandemic has been to use Whatsapp and Telegram to create a channel of communication, specific to the City of Johannesburg issues, with residents. “I have established a suburb and area-specific groups that allow me to keep residents informed on outages and other current challenges. It also allows residents to update me on important Council matters.”
He further said these groups have been successful in building a more integrated and cohesive environment. “In our great diversity, we have found a common purpose and understanding through open and direct communications.
“While the past year has been challenging and demanding on me and my fellow councillors, we continue to strive for better, safer and more responsive and sustainable service delivery from our City.”
