City's failing service delivery under fire

The Citizen

4 days ago

Residents across several suburbs in the east of Pretoria feel neglected by the metro, as they continue to endure long delays before water leaks, sewage spills, power outages, and potholes are addressed.
The metro is currently grappling with a significant service delivery backlog that has persisted for months, leaving many residents frustrated as critical issues remain unresolved for extended periods.
City officials have not provided a clear timeline for when services will return to normal, citing backlogs that date back to previous financial years.
According to the officials, ageing infrastructure, particularly deteriorating roads nearing the end of their lifespan, has led to a surge in service complaints, nearly three times more than the city's current capacity can handle.
Some water leaks are attended to after only a month or two, and sewage leaks after three weeks, despite multiple escalations.
Lucia Venter, a Moreleta Park resident for the past 27 years, said she was extremely frustrated with the deteriorating service delivery, lack of communication and their non-deliverance of promises.
'I attended a meeting earlier this year at the Erasmuskloof Fire Brigade, where the mayor and her colleagues hosted a so-called Imbizo. What a circus, not only did the mayor contradict herself several times, but empty promises were made yet again,' Venter said.
'They went as far as to take down our names of those who posed questions to the mayoral team and promised to revert back to us personally. Well, guess what? I am still waiting,' she said.
Venter said, 'Potholes have not been fixed, our streetlights don't work.
'We have crime that has escalated in our area, of which the most recent was on Saturday evening, gunshots around 22:00 and an attempted break-in a couple of streets down at 23:00 and not to mention the rest.'
She said they have homeless people sleeping at a bus stop and making the area look like a dumpsite.
'We are inundated with the recyclers/dustbin pickers roaming our streets. Most of the time, these guys are the eyes and ears for criminals. They sometimes hide stolen goods in their trolleys, including break-in tools. We are at our wits' end,' she explained.
She added that the ward councillors are trying their utmost best to assist where they possibly can, but are met with the incompetence Tshwane.
'Moreleta Park is becoming a decaying suburb, and we are going nowhere slowly.'
A resident of Wekker Street in Moreleta Park endured raw sewage spillages for three weeks as Tshwane tried to unblock and repair an overflowing manhole.
Elzabe Booysen told Rekord that the manhole started overflowing on April 24, flooding her yard with raw sewage, damaging her garden, and causing severe discomfort for her and her family.
Booysen said she was deeply frustrated and emotionally drained after dealing with an overflowing manhole on her property for over three weeks with no response from Tshwane.
She said, despite logging more than 17 complaints with the city and contacting numerous officials, the issue remained unresolved even after May 8.
'I first logged a complaint when the sewage spillages began, then three days later, it was not resolved, and I had to do follow-ups. Despite numerous follow-up calls and emails, no help, I had to deal with rude customer care assistants.'
Booysens added that to her shock, some municipal employees blamed her for the delay in repairs, claiming that 'reporting it too many times' was the reason the issue had not been fixed.
'I was told I'm the reason it hasn't been fixed simply because I followed up more than once. How is that fair?'
Booysens said she has lost hope in the city' ability to deliver services.
Connie Groenewald from The Wilds Estate said the turnaround time from Tshwane is not adequate.
'We waited 21 days for a water leak to be repaired and seven days for a blocked sewer,' she said.
She said she reported a water leak on April 30.
'The main issues we have with the municipality are the turnaround time and when following up on reported matters, phone calls are not answered, nor is there any detailed information shared.'
She said the lack of maintenance and repair undermines the confidence that residents [rate payers] have in the city's capability to uphold basic infrastructure standards.
'One of our ongoing frustrations lies in the lack of communication. When following up on reported matters, residents often receive no response, phone calls go unanswered, and no detailed updates are provided.'
She said the metro leaving issues unresolved is a huge problem, as it's not only a waste of a valuable resource, but it also presents a public safety risk.
'The continuous flow of water is damaging both the road surface and private property, and the wet, slippery conditions could easily lead to injury or accidents.'
She said this lack of timely maintenance and repair erodes public confidence in the city's ability to uphold even basic infrastructure standards.
Gillian Bittienie, a resident of Die Wilgers, expressed her outrage over a persistent water leak at the corner of Wakis Place and Verkenner Avenue, which has been left unattended for more than six weeks.
'This water leak has been running for over six weeks now with no action. Councillor Uys said she's begged and pleaded for it to be fixed,' said Bittienie.
'We, as Tshwane residents, are being punished for the absolute uselessness of the city when it comes to fixing water pipes on time. Potholes grow bigger by the day, and nothing is being done,' she said.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that Region 6 is facing a substantial infrastructure backlog, with 1 152 pothole repairs still pending, alongside numerous unresolved water leaks and sewage spills.
'The backlog is widespread across Region 6, but the most affected areas are wards 91, 45, 83 and 85,' said Mashigo.
Mashigo said the backlog in the east of Pretoria, unfortunately, dates back to previous financial years.
'There is currently no timeline to resolve the backlog, as some roads are old and at the end of their lifespan, resulting in three times more complaints than available capacity.'
He said the core challenges are ageing infrastructure and limited resources, although efforts are underway to address them.
'We currently have five teams deployed in Region 6, which comprises Pretoria east suburbs, two comprising city officials and three from appointed service providers via tenders.'
He added that budget constraints are also a significant factor, as they directly impact the ability to hire sufficient manpower and secure the necessary machinery to carry out repairs.
'As it stands, there are no formal plans to fast-track or accelerate service delivery in the coming weeks or months. However, residents can still report or follow up on service issues through their ward councillors or by contacting the city's customer care line at 012 358 9999.'
He said in the past month alone, we received 209 new complaints related to water, sewage, and road maintenance in Region 6, of which only 101 have been resolved.'
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