In an effort to respond to key urban management challenges the Ekurhuleni Metro is applying a robust approach to address service delivery shortfalls across the region.
In October the City began with a series of by-law enforcement blitzes that will run until December.
The aim of the blitzes is to identify critical issues within communities that require intervention, as well as to detect practices which contravene by-laws.
“By-laws are laws passed by the municipality that regulate activities within Ekurhuleni,” says spokesman for the metro, Themba Gadebe.
“It is therefore vital that individuals and businesses conduct their daily activities within the boundaries of these rules, which exist to maintain order.”
The blitzes are a multi-departmental intervention, and site visits involve officials from city planning, environmental health, outdoor advertising, parks, roads, energy, water and sanitation and urban management departments, as well as EMPD officers.
Some of the issues they focus on include overgrown grass, maintenance of parks, potholes, non-functional street lights, illegal posters, illegal dumping and littering, water leaks and pipe blockages, illegal taverns, missing manhole covers and dilapidated buildings.
To read up on your local by-laws visit www.ekurhuleni.gov.za.
The blitzes will visit the following areas in December:
- December 4 in Etwatwa for visible service delivery by tackling the fixing of potholes and illegal dumping.
- December 23 in Duduza for visible service delivery by tackling illegal dumping
Springs has not been included in the metro’s schedule, and the Addie asked Springsites what service delivery shortfalls they believe need attention:
Sharon Laas says: “We would benefit from street light repairs, rubble removal on empty stands and potholes being fixed. Who wouldn’t agree with that?”
Louis Blignaut says the whole town could do with a clean-up.
Douwlyne Bold (translated from Afrikaans): In Springs town, look at Third Street and Second Avenue. The whole town looks like a dumping site.”
