WARD 66 councillor JP Prinsloo welcomes the new year with a plan to improve the quality of living, lifestyle and space on the Bluff.
Knowing the issues the Bluff community faces daily which affects the quality of living, he is keen to make a difference this year. “This is due to the inability of the municipality to work effectively and efficiently. Many factors such as litter, illegal dumping, uncut verges and poor maintenance of our municipal structure reflects poorly on the areas,” said Cllr Prinsloo.
He urges residents to also take a stand by changing their mindsets and in the way of doing things. “We need to get our hands dirty to ensure we receive the quality services we deserve and pay for on a monthly basis,” he added.
In response to the failing city administration and the symptomatic corruption, the councillor will run the following campaign within Bluff’s ward 66 communities he serves.
“We have devised specific strategies to streamline service delivery on the Bluff and ensure that municipal departments are held accountable for non-delivery of services or poor service quality. For the past few months, I have worked closely with South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management team (ABM) to ensure that we devise a strategy to deliver on what was promised to each resident of the Bluff during the 2016 local government elections,” said Prinsloo.
Bluff has been allocated a dedicated municipal staff member to report and follow up on service delivery issues and assist him in conducting his work more effectively. The employee is one of the interns who is currently working at SDB. “She lives and grew up on the Bluff and is well versed on the issue that we need to be working on together,” said Prinsloo.
These strategies will ensure he will reach the main goal of quality living, lifestyle and space.A list of strategies are prioritised to be implemented this year:
A Facebook group: Bluff Community Noticeboard. One group will be dedicated to service delivery issues and concerns. “There are too many Bluff Facebook groups to monitor to ensure each resident’s concerns are addressed effectively and timeously. Admittedly it is hard to keep track of what is happening in every group,” he said. He encourages residents to join the group for updates and progress on any developments in the area.
Service delivery Whatsapp group – This group will be aimed at streamlining service delivery queries, reports or issues from various areas on the Bluff directly to the correct departments. Send a WhatsApp message or SMS to 083-406-2525 to join the group.
Weekly service delivery patrols – Twice a week SDB ABM staff members and Cllr Prinsloo will patrol the ward to identify municipal faults, assess the quality of work completed and identify outstanding reported issues.
Once a month illegal posters located along local roads will be removed with the help of the signage department and South Durban Basin ABM. “This will ensure we preserve the beauty of the Bluff and illegal posters are prevented from robbing local businesses of businesses opportunities,” he added.
Biannual public meetings – Twice a year, the councillor will host public meetings for the community to raise and list their concerns and so that Prinsloo to report back on the progress made over the previous months.
“2017 needs to be the year where we stand together and take ownership of our community. It is increasingly clear that the current government has no plans for our community. Each one of us can make a difference if we take pride in our homes and look after the things we have.
Open communication and community participation are vital for us to take back our suburb and ensure we achieve what we set out to do during 2017. It is no longer acceptable for us to sit back and watch as our rates and taxes are wasted or stolen. With your support, we can stand against corruption, maladministration and poor service delivery,” said Cllr Prinsloo.
For further information contact Cllr JP Prinsloo on 083-406-2525 or email ward66@ethekwini.org
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