The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Herman Mashaba, had a meeting with the leaders of the Zandspruit community last week.
Friday’s meeting follows the electrocution of two children, aged 11 and 15 respectively in the area. Mayor Mashaba’s visit was to discuss the communities’ concerns regarding the safe electrification of the area.
He pointed out to community leaders that Zandspruit is operated by Eskom and will require the Department of Energy and Eskom to provide assistance.
“While the City is committed to assisting our residents where possible, ultimately, the primary responsibility for electrification in Zandspruit rests with Eskom and the Department of Energy.
“Under the new administration, the City had begun engagements with Eskom with the view of electrifying Zandspruit. Indeed, in September, the City submitted the necessary applications to begin the process of providing electrification to the area,” said Mayor Mashaba.
During Friday’s engagement, the mayor renewed the City’s commitment to assisting the residents by engaging with Eskom in order to fast track the process of electrifying the area.
“In addition to this, I also committed the City’s Housing Department to working with the community with respect to building affordable housing for members of the community.
I have also committed the City’s Housing Department to submit a plan to the next sitting of Council, so as to allow the community to hold the City to account,” said Mayor Mashaba.
The local ward councillor and members of the community also raised concerns regarding the population density of the area, driven by inward migration into area by alleged undocumented immigrants.
“I will be writing to the Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, requesting that his department perform an audit of the area and ensure that those without documents are properly processed. The City will work with all stakeholders to address the needs of the community and bring the dignity demanded by our residents,” said Mayor Mashaba.
