Tim Denny pledges to tackle infrastructure failures in Ward 106

1. What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?

The three biggest challenges facing Ward 106 are unreliable electricity infrastructure, deteriorating roads and non-functioning streetlights.

• Electricity infrastructure: My priority is to fight for the urgent upgrading of electricity infrastructure, including the Eskom incoming feeders supplying the Z3 substation. Residents and businesses cannot continue to suffer the consequences of ageing, inadequate electrical infrastructure.

I will engage the relevant municipal departments, Eskom and political leadership to push for the necessary infrastructure investment, clear implementation timelines and accountability for delays.

• Deteriorating roads: I will fight for the resurfacing of major feeder roads into Ward 106 and ensure that pothole repairs are undertaken professionally and to acceptable standards. Temporary repairs that deteriorate after a few weeks are simply a waste of taxpayers’ money.

I will monitor road maintenance programmes, identify priority routes and push for adequate funding through the municipal budget and IDP processes.

• Streetlights: Functioning streetlights are essential for road safety, pedestrian safety and crime prevention. I will push to repair and maintain non-functioning streetlights throughout Ward 106, with particular attention to dangerous intersections, pedestrian routes, and crime hotspots.

Residents deserve reliable electricity, safe roads and properly maintained infrastructure. I will fight to ensure Ward 106 receives its fair share of municipal resources.

2. How will you improve basic service delivery such as water, electricity, refuse removal and road maintenance?

Reliable basic services are not a privilege. Residents pay for them and have every right to expect them from their municipality.

Improving service delivery requires proper financial management, adequate departmental budgets, preventative maintenance and, above all, accountability.

I will scrutinise municipal budgets and expenditure to ensure that departments responsible for electricity, water, roads, sanitation and refuse removal receive appropriate funding and use those resources efficiently.

I will continue engaging directly with the Alberton depot managers and municipal officials through monthly service delivery meetings, monitoring outstanding complaints and demanding clear timelines for resolving persistent problems.

Where departments fail to deliver, I will escalate matters to senior management, the relevant Members of the Mayoral Committee (MMCs) and, where necessary, the Executive Mayor.

I will also advocate for preventative maintenance rather than allowing infrastructure to deteriorate until emergency repairs become necessary.

A municipality cannot continue collecting rates and taxes while failing to deliver the services residents are entitled to. I will demand better performance, responsible spending and measurable results.

3. What specific plans do you have to improve community safety and reduce crime in the ward?

Crime prevention requires a coordinated approach involving the SAPS, EMPD, Community Policing Forum (CPF), private security companies, residents and the municipality itself.

I will continue to actively support the Alberton CPF and encourage the expansion of its community patroller network. I will also strengthen cooperation with our dedicated private security companies, EMPD and SAPS.

However, the municipality has an equally important responsibility to create an environment that discourages criminal activity.

Broken streetlights leave roads and public spaces in darkness. Overgrown grass and vegetation provide hiding places for criminals, while neglected parks, vacant municipal properties, and poorly maintained public spaces create an environment where crime can flourish.

I will therefore fight for:

• The prompt repair and regular maintenance of streetlights.

• Regular grass cutting and the clearing of overgrown vegetation.

• The maintenance and rehabilitation of neglected parks and public open spaces.

• The identification and rehabilitation of neglected municipal properties that pose a security risk.

• Improved cooperation between the municipality, SAPS, EMPD, CPF and private security companies to address crime hotspots.

I will also encourage residents to become actively involved in community safety initiatives and to report suspicious activities.

Reducing crime is not only about increasing visible policing. It is also about ensuring that the municipality fulfils its responsibilities and maintains safe, clean and properly functioning neighbourhoods.

4. How will you ensure that residents are kept informed and involved in decisions affecting the community?

Open, honest and regular communication with residents has always been central to my approach as a councillor.

I will re-establish a committed, dynamic, and active Ward Committee that represents residents’ interests and plays a meaningful role in identifying and addressing community priorities.

I will also introduce monthly online public meetings where residents can raise concerns, receive feedback and engage directly with me about matters affecting Ward 106.

My existing WhatsApp service delivery groups, dedicated to the various suburbs within the ward, will continue to provide residents with timely information about electricity outages, water interruptions, infrastructure problems, and other important developments.

I will provide monthly feedback from service delivery meetings with the Alberton municipal depots and maintain a dedicated Ward 106 Facebook page for community updates.

I will also inform residents about opportunities to participate in municipal planning, including the IDP and budget processes.

Residents should never have to chase their councillor for information. They deserve a councillor who is accessible, transparent and prepared to answer difficult questions.

5. What will you do to support local businesses, informal traders and job creation in the ward?

Small businesses are the backbone of local economic growth and job creation. We must create an environment in which existing businesses can thrive and new investors want to establish themselves.

Ekurhuleni’s most important contribution to attracting and retaining businesses is providing reliable electricity, water, roads, sanitation, and other essential municipal services.

Businesses cannot operate efficiently when they face repeated power interruptions, unreliable water supplies, and deteriorating infrastructure.

Our neighbouring Midvaal Municipality demonstrates how a focus on reliable service delivery and a business-friendly environment can help attract investment. Ekurhuleni should compete for those businesses and employment opportunities instead of letting service delivery failures undermine our competitiveness.

As a member of Council’s Section 79 Economic Development Portfolio Committee, I understand the importance of reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and creating opportunities for entrepreneurs.

I will use my established community networks to create a platform where small local businesses can advertise their products and services.

I will also arrange free information sessions with relevant economic development officials to help entrepreneurs with business development, regulatory requirements, and available support programmes.

I have already invited Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Jane Sithole to engage with Alberton business forums on reducing red tape and identifying opportunities for small businesses and informal traders.

I will continue advocating for fair and practical municipal regulations that support lawful informal trading and encourage entrepreneurship.

When the municipality gets the basics right, businesses can invest, grow and create jobs. That is the environment I will fight to establish in Ward 106 and across Ekurhuleni.

6. How will you improve conditions in informal settlements and underserved areas within the ward?

Ward 106 has no informal settlements within its boundaries. However, many vulnerable residents, including pensioners and low-income households, struggle to afford basic municipal services.

I will actively assist qualifying households to apply for and register under the City’s indigent support programme.

This includes helping residents understand the qualification criteria, obtain the necessary documentation, complete applications and follow up with municipal departments where applications are delayed or unresolved.

Qualifying residents should not be denied assistance simply because they do not understand the process or struggle to navigate municipal bureaucracy.

I will also work closely with local churches, non-profit organisations and welfare groups to identify vulnerable residents and connect them with appropriate support programmes.

Every resident deserves dignity, fair treatment and access to the municipal assistance for which they qualify.

7. What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?

I will fight for Ward 106 and use every available tool to ensure our community receives the infrastructure maintenance and services it deserves.

Residents should not have to accept pothole-riddled roads, recurring sewage spills, broken streetlights or illegal dumping as part of everyday life.

My approach will focus on three priorities: identifying infrastructure needs, securing appropriate budget allocations and holding the relevant departments accountable for delivery.

I will work with local depot managers to establish realistic repair and maintenance schedules, aligned with the municipality’s prescribed service delivery standards.

I will insist that the relevant municipal departments attend monthly service delivery meetings and provide updates on outstanding matters.

Where departments fail to respond or meet their obligations, I will use the oversight mechanisms available to councillors, including:

• Submitting written questions to demand explanations, repair timelines and information about expenditure.

• Raising oral questions in Council to hold political office-bearers accountable.

• Introducing motions where necessary to demand action on serious service delivery failures.

• Engaging directly with departmental heads, depot managers and senior officials.

• Escalating unresolved problems to the relevant MMCs and, where necessary, the Executive Mayor.

• Motivating for infrastructure upgrades and sufficient maintenance budgets through the IDP and budget processes.

I will also report back regularly to residents on progress and outstanding challenges.

Being a councillor is not about forwarding complaints and hoping somebody responds. It is about following through, demanding accountability and fighting relentlessly for results.

That is the commitment I make to Ward 106.

8. How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?

Residents deserve to know how their rates and taxes are being spent and whether they are receiving value for money.

I will scrutinise municipal budgets, expenditure and infrastructure projects affecting Ward 106 to ensure that available resources are used responsibly and efficiently.

Through regular meetings with depot managers and relevant municipal departments, I will monitor infrastructure priorities, maintenance spending, and project progress affecting our ward.

Where money has been allocated, but projects are delayed, abandoned or poorly executed, I will demand explanations and use the appropriate Council oversight mechanisms to seek accountability.

I will also advocate for Ward 106’s fair share of municipal resources through the IDP and budget processes.

I will provide residents with regular feedback on significant infrastructure projects, including what has been promised, what progress has been made and what remains outstanding.

Transparency means more than publishing financial figures. It means residents must be able to see how their money is spent and what results are achieved.

Public funds must be managed responsibly and used to improve residents’ lives.

9. What programmes or initiatives would you introduce for young people, women and vulnerable residents in the community?

A caring community is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable residents.

One of my priorities will be to revive my efforts to establish a homeless shelter in the Alberton area, working with relevant municipal departments, churches, non-profit organisations and other stakeholders.

I will also work to improve coordination of feeding schemes and community assistance programmes through local churches, NGOs, and NPOs.

I remain committed to supporting the important work undertaken by Stepping Stones Hospice and Tutela in Alberton, which provide valuable assistance to vulnerable members of our community, including women, children and people facing serious illness.

I will also advocate for safe, well-maintained recreational spaces and facilities that give young people opportunities to take part in positive community activities.

Working with community organisations, I will encourage programmes that support vulnerable women, children, young people, and elderly residents.

No councillor can solve every social challenge alone, but by bringing together government, community organisations and residents, we can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

10. If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?

If residents give me the honour and privilege of serving Ward 106 again, I will remain an accessible, hands-on, and accountable councillor.

As a resident of Ward 106, I experience the same electricity interruptions, water outages, deteriorating roads, and service-delivery frustrations as the people I represent.

I understand these challenges because I live with them, and I am determined to fight for improvements.
I will maintain open communication through my WhatsApp service delivery groups, dedicated Facebook page and monthly online public meetings.

I will provide regular feedback on outstanding service delivery problems, infrastructure projects and engagements with municipal departments.

I will also invite residents to assess my performance annually and provide constructive feedback on where I am succeeding and where I need to improve.

This assessment will consider my accessibility, communication, responsiveness, service-delivery follow-ups, and efforts to secure improvements for Ward 106.

I will report on the progress made, the challenges that remain and the priorities I will pursue in the year ahead.

Residents are always welcome to contact me, suggest improvements, raise concerns, or arrange meetings where necessary.

I cannot promise to resolve every municipal problem overnight, but I can promise that I will never stop fighting for better service delivery and greater accountability.

I will be accessible, communicate honestly, use every available Council mechanism to demand results, and always put the interests of Ward 106 residents first.

That is my commitment to the community I live in and am proud to serve.

Caxton Local Media invited Ekurhuleni mayoral candidates, as confirmed at the time of publication, to participate in a question-and-answer interview, giving voters a chance to learn more about their plans, priorities, and hopes for the city ahead of the Local Government Elections on November 4.

The views expressed in these questionnaires are those of the respective candidates and do not represent the views of Caxton Local Media or any of its publications.

The answers are intended solely to provide voters with information about the candidates contesting the election and to help them make informed choices at the polls.