The newly appointed councillor of Ward 43, Carolana Marais, has vowed to tackle service delivery issues in Windmill Park.
This follows her interview with the Advertiser in Windmill Park recently, where she outlined some of the community issues she’s come across.
Marais said service delivery is paramount and is the right of the residents.
She highlighted that she’s already started with sports development in the area as part of her efforts to bring the community together.
“We have levelled the soccer ground along De Waal Street and on Youth Day, young people came together to play soccer on that ground. We will work towards developing the team to keep the youth busy through sports.”
She emphasised that her vision is to add grass so it can be a conducive and productive soccer pitch the community can be proud of.
“Other issues I’ve seen in the area are continuous power cuts and the collapsing infrastructure. I have so far escalated the matter to the relevant department. The area has also been exposed to sewerage due to ageing pipes and blocked drains, which are of great concern, as it contaminates our water sources and is toxic for children in the area.”
Marais said she has reported a few times to the municipality to have the infrastructure fixed.
She added that open manholes in the park along De Waal Street are a cause for concern in terms of the safety of children.
“Having open manholes at a park where children are meant to be free is unacceptable. I have also escalated it to the relevant department as a matter of urgency.”
According to Marais, the high rate of unemployment in Windmill Park has presented a lot of social ills where people have resorted to crime and drugs.
“We are planning to address unemployment through empowerment programmes, such as food gardens and entrepreneurship programmes for the youth. Using my environmental background, we are planning to have a sustainable garden where each member of the community can benefit from.
“I am also working with a group of women who have started a soup kitchen, where I assist with finding sponsors to donate food. We are not only feeding their tummies but also their spiritual side as well. Recently, we hosted an outreach where we distributed food and clothes to the community and thereafter we had a church service.”
Marais highlighted that numerous street lights are not working in the area.
“The metro shared that there’s been a backlog due to the pandemic but apparently they are attending to it.”
She said she has taken pictures of piles of waste and has sent them to the parks department.
“We have seen over the months that when it rains the waste flows into the drainage system, causing the drains to block. Open fields also need maintenance due to overgrown grass. It would be convenient if those fields were used to plant crops, but the more the waste is kept on those grounds the land is toxified,” said Marais.
Meanwhile, she said they have started a knitting project to knit a big blanket for Mandela Day, which will be sold.
With regards to complaints from residents about not having a clinic or community centre, Marais said there was a mobile clinic, which was used to service the residents, but due to threats from some members of the community towards the mobile clinic staff, has stopped coming to the area.
She added that a community centre formed part of her plans.
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