Service Delivery Issues A Big Concern

Submit by:

Leslie T. Delos Santos

Submit to:

Ms: Grace Marquez

Introduction:

 Tessa Botha, councillor of Buffalo City Metro's ward 4 since 2016, believes the main issues
facing her constituency are matters of service delivery and that include potholes, grass-cutting
and bush-clearing, bust pipes, traffic and illegal dumping.

Body:

 Service dilevery covers a whole array of issues such as potholes, grass- cutting and bush-
clearing burst pipes blocked stormwater drains, traffic congestion and lack of traffic calming
measures, illegal dumping and unsatisfactory measures for refuse removal. In general our roads
are in desperate need of attention but there has been an improvement, specially Berea area as
well as in Cambridge and Cambridge West areas. I recently han a commitment from the
chairperson of infrastructure whereby he informed me that attention would be given to some
roads in my ward. Bush cleaning remains a hudge challenge due to staffing challenges and the
municipality does not have the proper equipment. This becomes a problem as it is the perfect
hideout for criminals. There also seems to be a huge challenge with burst pipes due to the
crumbling infrastructure but this is a general problem all around BCM.On the bush- cutting
front there has been progress as the small alleyway wich runs between houses and connects
Krohn Street with Hofmeyer Street in Cambridge has been recently cleared. The path was at
one stage so overgrown and became not only an eyesore but possibly acted as a crime conduit
in the suburb.

Conclusion:

 My goals are to drive local issues to improve a word, to develop a strong and positive
relationship with the residents, and to get as many people involved in taking ownership of the
areas where they live to maintain or improve the areas they live in. This is a far cry from earlier
this year, when the business office was burgled and set alight, bringing the number of times it
had been vandalized to five in just two years.