Greenville residents accuse councillor of neglect
Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz is once again under fire as Greenville residents accuse her of neglecting their most basic service delivery needs.
The recent three-day sewage overflow in Greenville informal settlement has reignited public outrage, with residents once again accusing Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz of failing to attend to their long-standing service delivery issues.
Resident Patrick Ngidi accused Horwitz of not serving the community of Greenville, whereas she serves other communities, such as Lyndhurst. “Greenville residents raised so many issues to her on WhatsApp, but she does not respond to the messages. She does not even come to Greenville.”
Horwitz explained that earlier in her term she was part of roughly 35 WhatsApp groups, which became unsustainable. “The city was, and is, deteriorating under the current Government of Local Unity (GLU) and issue reporting was becoming increasingly difficult… As a result, I put in place my own single portal for all residents to log issues. I notified all residents’ groups that I would be leaving.”
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Still, some claim the change in approach has not improved things. Thabisa Mazantsi eventually left the WhatsApp group due to what she described as continued silence from the councillor.
Horwitz attributed the delays in responding to some messages to the overwhelming volume of correspondence she receives. “There are approximately forty thousand people residing in Ward 81, of those I have almost ten thousand residents on my WhatsApp. It is very challenging to keep up communication with so many people, especially as service delivery is declining as the city increasingly fails.”
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But to Greenville resident Mpho Phibantu, the issue is not just WhatsApp communication, it is also the councillor’s physical absence. “Other places have community meetings where councillors attend, but I have not seen her here,” he said.
Horwitz explained that residents are aware that, should they need her to visit, they should invite her. “As a matter of personal safety, I typically do not force myself on residents that have indicated my presence is not wanted. I have previously been invited to attend residents’ meetings and meetings with officials, and I have attended those.”
As frustrations about service delivery, and Horwitz’s alleged unresponsiveness, mounts, she urges residents to remain patient.
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