Region E in spotlight

Residents and the City met to thrash out issues and concerns in Region E. Community suggestions for improving living conditions were made to the City.
SERVICE delivery pitfalls and the City’s interventions were highlighted at a Region E service delivery assessment meeting in Sandringham, on the eastern perimeter of Johannesburg.

MMC Geoff Makhubo stood in for executive mayor Parks TauMMC Geoff Makhubo: Standing in for executive mayor Parks TauCommunity representatives spoke about what they thought the City should do to improve service delivery. The meeting, between the City, community members and members of various civic organisations, was held at the Jabula Recreation Centre on Thursday, 8 March.

Some of the points raised included that the City increase its waste management sites to stop illegal dumping and that there was need for a correlative relationship between the City and residents in the region.

It was pointed out that the region should increase youth development initiatives and a suggestion was made that the City consider building accommodation for migrant domestic workers, partner a greening project and enforce by-laws vigorously.

Most residents were concerned about the lack of effective communication between them and the regional office and the “mushrooming” of shacks and illegal dump sites.

In her presentation, the regional director, Liziwe Ntshinga-Makoro, said the region lacked an effective “information dissemination” strategy and that there was no communication between City-run programmes, councillors and the community.

She conceded that a proactive approach to addressing service delivery issues was lacking, and that the minimal services offered in informal settlements had led to water leakages, illegal dumping, littering and illegal electricity connections.

The region needed to develop minimum service delivery standards and strengthen partnerships with community members, she said.

issues raised by residentsResidents are asking for more stringent measures to combat illegal dumpingIt was working on setting up a dedicated land invasion task team and a dedicated law enforcement response team to pre-empt land invasions and by-law contraventions.

Among the City’s interventions were that more greening initiatives would be undertaken and clinic hours would be extended to overcome long queues and staff shortages. One health professional warned of a potential outbreak of disease if a sanitary solution was not provided in areas around the Jukskei River.

The shacks in Riverpark and other shacks built on the flood lines should be demolished by the end of the year, residents said.

The City’s portfolio head of finance, Geoffrey Makhubo, said the meeting was held so that stakeholders in Region E and the City could discuss service delivery drawbacks and how best to remedy them.

“As the government we can’t do it alone, it has to be a joint effort. We have to find ways to integrate our work with that of civil society,” he said.