Councillor George Mahlangu’s report back to Protea Glen
Protea Glen state of Ward 13 discussed.
A public meeting was held by Ward 13 councillor George Mahlangu last weekend in Protea Glen to discuss the state of the ward.
The councillor chaired the third quarter meeting of the 2017/18 financial year which saw him report back to the public about issues pertaining to the ward such the progress on the eco-park requested by the residents in the previous quarter’s meeting, among other things.
The proposal for the eco-park has been submitted for the 2018/19 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and is currently awaiting approval according to Mahlangu. The councillor also announced the construction and commissioning of a new private school in Protea Glen, Curro Academy.
Another burning issue that was raised at the meeting was the budget for stormwater drainage systems.
Soweto as a whole was meant to be allocated R4 billion for stormwater drainage systems in the 2016/17 financial year but was only allocated R4 million according to Mahlangu. This is a contentious issue as climate change is at the forefront of global discussions as floods and storms are becoming commonplace.
Protea Glen was ravaged by a storm in December 2017 which damaged houses and cars. It is thus particularly important to reinforce structures that may protect residents from further damage.
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“We insist on getting funds allocated for this because it has been planned for in the IDP for Protea Glen and if we don’t we will go back to residents and tell them not to pay tariffs and taxes. Why should we pay if we don’t get the services?” Mahlangu said.
Residents also got the opportunity to raise their concerns and give suggestions to the councillor.
One of the main concerns raised by the residents was with regards to illegal dumping and the lack of penalties for those who partake in this illegal activity. The crime issue was also another concern raised by the resident.
“There is a passage in extension three that is bothering us, just last week a man mugged near the passage at around 7 pm when he was coming from the shops and the criminals ran into that passage,” said Protea Glen resident, Meisie Motaung.
Ward 13 councillor, George Mahlangu noted the resident’s issues and will work towards resolving them as best as he can and report back in the next meeting.
