Tiaan Kotze outlines service delivery priorities for Ward 57

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

The biggest challenges are consistent sewer infrastructure failures, unreliable electricity supply (often exacerbated by illegal connections), and inadequate waste management.

I will address these by implementing a strict, data-driven tracking system for all service requests to ensure the municipality repairs recurring faults permanently, rather than applying temporary ‘patchwork’ fixes.

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

I have already well-established direct communication lines with the local depot managers for water, energy, and waste.

I will create a ward-specific service dashboard to publicise maintenance schedules and hold departments accountable when these schedules are missed.

For road maintenance, I will prioritise a comprehensive audit of potholes in Eden Park and Thokoza to ensure prioritised, efficient repairs.

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

I will facilitate closer collaboration between the South African Police Service (SAPS), local Community Policing Forums (CPFs), and private security stakeholders to map crime hotspots.

My focus will be on improving street lighting to deter criminal activity, clearing overgrown public spaces that serve as hideouts, and advocating for more frequent police patrols in vulnerable areas.

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

I will utilise platforms like community WhatsApp groups, local social media, and physical noticeboards at community centers to provide weekly updates.

I will hold quarterly public meetings in both Eden Park and Thokoza to ensure residents have a transparent platform to debate municipal plans and voice their concerns before decisions are finalised.

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

I will map local informal traders to ensure they have designated, safe trading spaces with basic amenities like water and refuse bins.

I will also facilitate workshops connecting local job seekers with municipal Expanded Public Works Programmes (EPWP) and advocate for local procurement policies that prioritise hiring contractors and labour from within Ward 57 for municipal projects.

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

I will advocate for the formalisation and upgrading of services in underserved areas, focusing on safe, legalised electrical connections to replace dangerous illegal ones.

In the interim, I will ensure consistent, reliable provision of water tankers, chemical toilets, and regular waste collection to maintain basic health and dignity for all residents.

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

I will maintain a public Infrastructure Action Register. For recurring issues like sewage spills, I will escalate cases to the Ekurhuleni divisional head of Water and Sanitation and insist on structural pipe replacements rather than repetitive unblocking.

I will also organise community-led clean-up campaigns supported by municipal resources to tackle illegal dumping sites, while simultaneously advocating for stricter enforcement of dumping bylaws.

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

I will demand full transparency regarding procurement processes for all local projects and urge the community to monitor project progress against agreed-upon timelines, immediately reporting any suspected mismanagement to the relevant oversight committees.

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

I will partner with local NGOs and businesses to host skills-training workshops for youth, focusing on trades relevant to municipal infrastructure maintenance.

For women and vulnerable residents, I will push for stronger links to social services, ensuring that support grants and healthcare resources are accessible and that community hubs are safe, well-lit spaces for support programmes.

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

I will issue an annual performance report that compares my stated campaign promises against what was achieved.

I will allow all ward committee meetings to be open to the public to keep myself and the ward committee transparent and accountable.

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.