Farmall residents demand action as service delivery issues pile up
Frustrated Farmall residents are calling for visible leadership and urgent intervention as roads crumble, illegal dumping spreads, and water leaks continue unchecked.
Farmall residents say they have had enough of being ignored as pothole-riddled roads, illegal dumping, ongoing water leaks, and rising crime continues to disrupt their daily lives, all while they feel their ward councillor Rufas Maswazi is nowhere to be seen.
“Councillors are the elected representatives of the people and are mandated as elected representatives to make decisions on behalf of their constituencies,” said Rosalee Nel, a concerned Farmall resident. “Councillors need to carry out their duties in a transparent and accountable way. Their actions must be visible to the public so that the public [or the party to which the councillor belongs] can object when it feels their interests are not being adequately represented.
“To find out what is happening at the council level, the public has the right to attend council meetings and get records and reports provided by the council.”
Also read: Farmall residents slam ward councillor for ‘vanishing’ on service delivery
Nel said residents have reported multiple service delivery issues to the city, but without the ward councillor’s support and intervention, their challenges remain unresolved. “We need a personal visit to the area to assess the situation, professional road rehabilitation with proper compaction, visible ‘No Dumping’ signage, a municipal clean-up of illegal dumping sites, and immediate attention to the ongoing water leaks.”
Residents described how poor gravel roads become nearly impassable after rain, leaving even refuse trucks unable to collect waste, while private security companies struggle to patrol effectively in what they say has become a high-crime area.
Illegal dumping, worsened by trucks linked to a composting business operating in the area, has turned sections of Farmall into what residents said looks like a landfill. “When the grader comes out, they scrape the banks, causing more erosion, and move the sand onto the road, making it muddy. The grader also pulls up water pipes, hence we have had ongoing water leaks for more than two years.”
Also read: JRA knows Farmall residents want repairs and maintenance
Nel expressed frustration with Maswazi, claiming he failed to attend a scheduled meeting with her, and did not send an apology. “The one other meeting was with the Fourways Review journalist. He never responded.”
The Fourways Review reached out to Maswazi for comment. In response, Maswazi said he was aware of the issues in Farmall and had reported them to the relevant departments. “Regarding communication, there might be a misunderstanding between residents as I have WhatsApp groups where I communicate with residents, but for Farmall, I don’t have one, and I will work with residents to resolve that.”
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