These are the words of Gerda Senekal, FF Plus councilor: Emfuleni local municipality (ELM), after a house fire on 16 March. 
At the end of January, Telkom stopped its services to the Emfuleni local municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) due to non-payment, which therefore means that the landlines at the fire station are out of order.
“Yesterday afternoon (16 March) the FF Plus had to call a firefighter on his private phone and ask him to send emergency vehicles to the burning house,” said Cllr. Senekal.
The party was notified of the fire by a neighbor, who is also a FF Plus supporter. “Meanwhile, while waiting for help from the fire brigade, the neighbor tried to prevent the fire from spreading further with a garden hose. His effort was of little value as Rand Water reduced the water supply to the municipality by 40% eighteen days ago, ”says Cllr. Senekal.
The homeowner and neighbors had to watch flames destroying his belongings.
Upon their arrival, the fire brigade did everything in their power to put out the fire. “The Emfuleni municipality, which is partly under the administration of the Gauteng legislature,’s service delivery to the community is deteriorating daily.
The FF Plus’ office in Vanderbijlpark receives about 100 telephone calls daily from unhappy residents because they cannot reach the municipal offices by telephone.
In addition, people send hundreds of Whatsapp and SMS messages to councilors’ private cell phones regarding service delivery problems, ”says Cllr. Senekal.
She further argued that service delivery in Emfuleni was forced to halt as service providers were paid months ago. The money available is apparently being used to repair potholes in roads.
“Residents pay for services they do not receive and are not responsible for the mismanagement of the municipality. The FF Plus will not ease its pressure on the municipality to fulfill its constitutional duty by providing a proper service to residents, ”said Cllr. Senekal closed.
