CoE fails to supply PPE, affects service delivery
The CoE spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, denied claims of a go-slow, saying teams were responding to complaints.
A lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and rumours of departmental go-slows had Farrarmere residents seething when sewage and water flooded streets, and the Ekurhuleni metro seemingly ignored all incident reports.
According to Ward 28 Clr Mary Goby, residents vented their frustrations on her service delivery WhatsApp group.
Some claimed the CoE did not address the water leaks and overflowing sewage.
“Frustrated and desperate to prevent further flooding of his property, a resident on Cambridge Street dug trenches from a leaking fire hydrant leading to the road to divert the water,” said Goby.
“This was reported three months ago and escalated many times. The CoE wasted thousands of litres of water, and, in time, damage to the road surface will be evident.
“On Virgo Street, water leaking from a water meter has flowed for six weeks.”
Meeting the Benoni City Times at an over-flowing sewage pipe on the corner of Gilwell Road and Linnet Street on July 21, Goby said the manhole had spewed raw sewage into neighbouring properties and onto streets for eight days. Despite this, no one from the Department of Water and Sanitation responded to the complaint.
“This is a health risk for residents, motorists and pedestrians. With sporadic cholera outbreaks top of mind, one would expect reported sewage leaks to be urgently addressed.”
Goby said departmental employees on the ground admitted to being on a go-slow because the CoE had not supplied them with the necessary PPE.
“According to the metro’s Service Level Agreement, matters such as these should be resolved in 24 hours,” she said.
“We have teams on the ground that cannot effectively perform their duties because they are still using PPE assigned in 2018.
“This is delaying service delivery in a ward with 98% ratepayer compliance.”
Metro responds
The metro’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, said the acquisition of PPE was a centralised function, with departments getting the items from the human resources department responsible for its procurement.
“Employees of the Benoni water depot received some items but await the delivery of outstanding items,” said Dlamini.
When asked about the metro’s tardy response to the complaints and whether it was because of a rumoured municipal worker go-slow, Dlamini said teams were attending to the complaints.
“I can confirm we resolved the highlighted matters on July 22 and 23,” he said without elaborating on the lengthy time it took to respond.
Although satisfied that the matters were attended to, Goby said it was unacceptable that the CoE ignored ratepayers’ concerns because their employees did not have the necessary PPE to do their jobs.
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