Jacci Babich of Blackheath writes in response to the article, Budget blues, Week ending 3 June 2016.
The ANC should not pat itself on the back for, at long last, improving Johannesburg’s financial ratings.
What ratepayers want to know about is the nitty-gritty stuff. Such as what will we get in return for our money? And where exactly will our rates contribution, as part of that R54.8 billion budget, be spent?
We ask this:
- As we collectively lose millions of rands in lost earnings every day as we sit fuming in never-ending queues at constantly malfunctioning robots.
- As we wear our cars and nerves out with stop-start motoring thanks to unsynchronised robots.
- Due to the brain-battering caused every day by the hundreds of thousands of distracting billboards, hoardings, flags, flyers and rampant advertising Joburg Metro has allowed to litter our suburbs.
- As we witness road accidents and near-misses every day because our Metro police are incapable of dealing with moving violations – these range from taxi drivers blatantly breaking every rule of the road right under Metro’s noses, to hawkers and beggars lawlessly prancing and dancing among the cars at intersections.
- As we watch our roads, parks and suburbs deteriorate before our eyes. Weeds, litter, broken pavements, lack of street signage and road paint, filthy medians, you name it.
It’s high time our money was spent on maintenance and repairs as part of a jacked up system that provides us with decent services in return for our rates.
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