Elsburg residents angered by lack of service delivery and power failures
The resident said Elsburg has become a forgotten town.
Elsburg residents are up in arms and ready to fight for their suburb.
ALSO READ: Ekurhuleni councillors bestowed alderman’s status in Germiston
Residents called a meeting near Weideman Dam on December 7 to air their grievances about the lack of service delivery and power outages.
Before this, Germiston City News was inundated with letters from readers pleading for assistance to get power restored to Elsburg.
Over 50 residents attended the meeting where they highlighted that their concerns were not about load-shedding, but rather additional power outages, often lasting as long as two weeks.
Resident Charlotte Klopper relies on oxygen for health reasons and said life has become difficult in Elsburg.
ALSO READ: Illegal dumping poses health threat to Germiston residents
“Residents have to find solutions to survive these electricity outages. I have the privilege of a family that cares and has the means to ensure we survive.
“My son and his wife obtained a battery for my oxygen tank and we have a generator.
“What about the other residents who cannot afford it? It is expensive. Many residents of Elsburg are elderly,” said Klopper.
Sam de Beer has lived in Elsburg for almost 10 years. She told GCN that due to power outages, the meat she had purchased for the December holidays had rotten.
“I don’t make a lot of money. The meat went off, with the power being off for so long.
“No one will be held responsible for this or pay for it, which is sad.
“The municipality could do more for the residents. Our councillor can be more of help as she did not answer us or when she did, was rude and unprofessional,” said De Beer.
“We in Elsburg are so fed up with service delivery. We are the paying customers. We can’t make food, the fridge and freezers are defrosting.
“We cannot clean or do the paperwork for clients. Tanya, the mayor of Ekurhuleni, is not even bothered to come out to Elsburg, to see or hear our dilemma,” wrote Isebel Botha in a letter.
ALSO READ: Update: Rand Water reports on Wychwood water leak
“We had no electricity since December 3,” Gerda van As said to GCN on December 7.
“Do not bother with Ekurhuleni or the ward councillor. This is ridiculous. We have to pay for everything, but they do nothing about the breakdowns and stuff,” said Van As.
The electricity issue is just one of many problems Elsburg is facing. Residents said service delivery is nonexistent in the area and the councillor is not doing much to help the situation.
Residents alleged that Ward 39 Clr Jean Ingram is not doing enough to address the residents’ concerns.
Some of the other problems in the area include refuse collection, water outages, potholes, long grass and broken street lights.
Klopper said as residents they are not enjoying their area.
ALSO READ: Klopperpark elderly man suffers for days in the dark
“It’s the festive season. Families want to be outdoors and children want to play in the park but they cannot because the grass is overgrown.
“We don’t feel safe because the overgrown grass creates an opportunity for criminals to hide,” said Klopper.
Residents alleged that they have made requests to meet with Ingram and Mayor Tanya Campbell.
“We are at the point that we want solutions and as residents are even willing to do it ourselves because clearly council is failing us,” said Klopper.
On March 20, Campbell in her inaugural State of the City Address (SOCA) introduced the back-to-basics approach to governance.
She then said the approach was to focus on stabilising the CoE’s energy grid and decreasing dependence on Eskom, re-prioritising and fixing potholes and maintaining the city’s roads to promote growth in the local economy.
ALSO READ: CoE establishes solid waste task team
Germiston City News sent a request for comment to the City of Ekurhuleni and Ward Clr Jean Ingram on December 7. A comment was requested by December 9 at noon.
GCN sent another request for comment to Ingram, CoE and mayoral spokesperson Warren Gwilt on December 9 and then requested comment by December 12 at 09:00. At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
