Germiston City News invited all ward councillor candidates 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 questionnaires are intended solely to provide voters with information about the candidates contesting the election and to help them make informed choices at the polls.

VF Plus ward councillor and candidate Quintus van Vliet, Ward 39:
Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?

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A: “From my ward visits, resident reports and service records, the three most urgent problems are constant power outages without warning, basic service delivery like refuse removal and upkeep, and feedback or on-time response to complaints are non-existent.

For each priority, residents will be able to see who is affected, the City reference number, the responsible department, the next action and when my office will update them. I will report progress at each open ward meeting and bring recurring failures into the ward-priority and IDP/budget process. Residents should be able to judge me by whether I keep the pressure and follow-up visible.”

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

A: “I will keep a ward service register for water leaks and outages, sewer blockages, electricity faults, missed refuse collections, and damaged roads. My office will log each report with the City’s Incident Management System or the correct service provider, acknowledge it within two working days and give a status update within seven days. I will escalate repeat faults to the responsible department and raise them in the ward-priority and budget process.

I will push for prevention and emergency repairs, including leak detection, pipe and pump maintenance, sewer inspections, reliable refuse schedules, road-condition checks, and protection of electricity infrastructure. For power faults, I will first confirm the responsible distributor and follow the case through to repair. I will publish repeat problem sites and the status of each case so residents can see what is fixed and what still needs action.”

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

A: “Within my first 60 days, I will convene a ward safety walk and meeting with the CPF, SAPS, EMPD, neighbourhood watches, local businesses, schools and residents. We will identify the specific hotspots and dark routes residents are concerned about, then agree on a written action list for the responsible agencies. I will follow up on municipal actions residents can see, like working streetlights, safer and maintained parks, responses to illegal dumping and by-law complaints, and protection of vulnerable infrastructure.

I will support lawful community safety structures and report quarterly on referrals, municipal fixes and outstanding cases. SAPS and EMPD control their operational deployments. My commitment is to make sure local concerns are documented, coordinated and not forgotten.”

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

A: “I will hold at least one open ward meeting every quarter and regular site walkabouts at the places residents have reported. Meetings will be working sessions where we will review the open service register, hear new concerns and agree which priorities must go into the IDP and budget submissions.

“I will publish the meeting notice and agenda in advance, then share a short action record within five working days showing the issue, next step and who must follow up. Residents should have a non-digital way to raise a concern as well as phone or online channels. When a request is not funded or cannot be handled by the City, I will explain why and identify the right body to approach.”

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

A: “I will convene a quarterly ward business and trader forum and keep a list of the practical obstacles residents and employers raise, like unreliable water or electricity supply, poor road access, waste collection, safety, billing and confusing permit or land-use processes. I will refer each municipal issue to the responsible office and publish what is still outstanding.

“I will press for clear, predictable municipal processes, accurate bills, safe and serviced lawful trading areas, and better maintenance around business streets and work sites. I will share information about municipal supplier and business-support opportunities and connect local training providers with employers where there is a real skills need. The municipality can remove barriers and build investor confidence while businesses and entrepreneurs create jobs. I will report on barriers addressed and referrals made rather than claim jobs I cannot control.

Q: How will you improve conditions in informal settlements and underserved areas within the ward?

A: “I will work with residents and the relevant departments to prepare a service and safety profile for each informal settlement in the ward. It will identify gaps in water, sanitation, refuse removal, drainage, lighting and emergency access, as well as land status and fire or flood risks. The first priority is safe basic services and a clear way for residents to report faults.

“Where upgrading on the site is safe and practical, I will press for phased services and a transparent route towards secure tenure and longer-term housing. If a serious risk cannot be reduced, any relocation must be lawful, properly planned and discussed with the affected community, with the responsible sphere of government and next steps made clear. I will publish milestones and follow up with the municipality and provincial or national housing authorities where their powers are required.”

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

A: “I will keep a repeat-fault list for potholes, sewer spills, failed streetlights, blocked stormwater drains and illegal dumping sites. Each entry will have a location, report reference, responsible department, date raised and current status. My office will inspect priority sites, follow up on repairs, and confirm the work has solved the problem before telling residents it is closed.

“I will press for planned maintenance, qualified technical oversight, clear contractor milestones and quality checks. If a repair fails again or a project falls behind, I will ask the department to explain the cause, the warranty or corrective action, and the revised completion date.

“The VF Plus manifesto calls for at least 8% of the book value of municipal assets to be spent on maintenance annually and I will use that as a policy benchmark to scrutinise the budget and report progress, not claim it is already being achieved in this ward.”

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

A: “I will publish a quarterly ward-priority scorecard linked to the City’s IDP and budget process. For each approved project, residents should be able to see whether it is operating or capital work, the budget and funding source, the responsible department, contractor where applicable, planned dates, actual spending, progress and evidence of completion. Delays and unfunded priorities must be explained, not hidden.

“I will advocate for the VF Plus manifesto commitment to reinvest a substantial portion of rates and levies collected in a ward in that ward’s priorities, with better-collecting wards receiving more for local priorities, while the equitable share funds basic services for eligible indigent households.

“I will also scrutinise whether infrastructure grants are used for their intended purpose and whether the budget reflects the manifesto’s maintenance benchmark. Personal information about indigent households will remain private.”

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

A:”In my first 60 days, I will map the training, job-readiness, business-support and social-support programmes already available through the City, province, TVET colleges, employers and community organisations. I will publish a simple ward directory and hold a quarterly access session where residents can meet providers and get help with referrals or applications.

“With women, older people, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents, I will identify safety and access barriers through ward walkabouts and community meetings. I will follow up on dark routes and broken lights, accessible public spaces and referrals to existing support, including indigent assistance where a household qualifies. I will report how many residents were referred and whether they could access the service, while keeping personal details confidential.”

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

A: “At the end of every quarter, I will publish a one-page ward scorecard and present it at an open meeting. It will show meetings held, ward priorities submitted, service cases logged, how quickly my office acknowledged and updated residents, cases escalated, cases resolved by the responsible department and cases still outstanding, plus project budgets, spending and deadlines.

“My office’s proposed standard is to acknowledge every report within two working days and provide a status update within seven days. I will record missed targets and explain them. Residents can hold me to whether I listened, got the issue into the right system, pursued it, used council oversight and reported honestly, not simply to promises that depend on departments or other spheres of government.”