Newly elected Ward 74 councilor Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku has already begun engaging with the community.
“Now with elections done, while waiting to be sworn in, I have already hit the ground running,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku’s commitment to being available at all reasonable times is already being felt by residents based on the number of calls she receives.
Several residents have already witnessed the new councillor’s commitment to improving basic service delivery, including better response to water leaks through my engagement with Joburg Water.
“There have been occasions when residents receive updates stating, ‘technician on-site’ which means I will be on-site with the community making sure that whatever issue is there is being fixed,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
“We are seeing an improvement in service to residents. Where power is not restored after load-shedding, I engage officials and we see an improvement already.”
She added that getting a response from Joburg Road Agency remains a challenge although there has been some improvement with pothole repairs in the area.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said she engaged with the JRA operations manager, Puleng Mokgohloa, regarding fixing roads as soon as possible when residents made a complaint.
Moreover, the new councillor said there are problems with by-law enforcement in Ward 74, especially in Kew, Bramley, and parts of Savoy.
“Building by-laws are not adhered to in most cases in areas like Kew and parts of Bramley and extensions and buildings need to be approved by the City.
“If these are not done, we will have more people living in areas that will increase the strain on the infrastructure, which may lead to sewage leaks, water leaks, and illegal electricity connections, which inconvenience the many law-abiding citizens in the ward.”
She added that the illegal recyclers in parks and open spaces within Ward 74 have already been raised quite robustly to City Parks, and it is getting attention.
“Over the next couple of weeks, I will be conducting follow-up oversights in the different suburbs in our ward, first stop will be Winston Ridge, Birnam, and Elton Hill.”
