IN the lead-up to the Local Government Elections (LGE) on Wednesday, November 4, Highway Mail will be speaking to residents from all walks of life about changes they’d like to see in their neighbourhoods.

They will speak on the challenges they face and where they feel service delivery could improve. In this edition, we interviewed residents from wards 103 and 105 as well as Pinetown.

People should not live in fear

Ward 103 resident Justice Mduduzi Mfeka said that, as a voter, he hopes Durban, in general, is “fixed” through the proper repair and maintenance of water and electricity infrastructure, as well as the fixing of roads.

Mfeka added that job opportunities should also be created.

The eThekwini Municipality, said Mfeka, also needs to urgently deal with reports of billing errors “because we have a problem with estimations and people end up paying a lot”, with the cost of electricity being exorbitant.

Another concern for Mfeka is the issue of safety “because crime in Durban has increased too much”.

“People should not live in fear, they should feel safe in their places of residence,” said Mfeka.

Address failing roads and water woes

Mbongeni Ngidi, a Pinetown resident who has an alternative home in the Ndaya area, Ntsongozi, which is Ward 105, said he will be voting for change because “our current government is not doing us any justice”.

“We want to see our basic needs being met,” said Ngidi, who listed a lack of water supply and the poor state of roads as some of the issues he wants to see addressed, in particular in Ward 105 at eThekwini.

 Ngidi added that other issues that need to be addressed include job creation, illegal immigration and a township economy, particularly tuckshops, which appears to have been taken over by immigrants.

“But our government is not doing anything,” said Ngidi.

Ngidi alleged that water tankers in Ward 105 were servicing households based on their political affiliation, which he said should come to an end.

 “Water is a basic need for human beings and we should all be getting water from our taps. Also, we are all equal, we are voters and we are taxpayers, so when a water tanker is sent to the community, it should service all of us.”

Also read: LGE 2026: Ratepayer advocate standing for elections in Ward 18

Job security

Phumla Shezi, a Newlands resident who works in Pinetown, said her areas of concern are irregular immigration, job creation and that these work opportunities should be available to all regardless of their level of experience, with on the job training provided to recruits.

‘I will be voting for sustainability’

Pinetown resident Nolwazi Phakathi said her vote on November 4 will be cast with the hope that the area’s current councillor returns for another term because their performance has, for her, been satisfactory.

“I want things to continue as they are because even when we need answers, we get responses timeously. So I will be voting for sustainability,” said Phakathi.

In terms of the City in general, Phakathi said it was “falling apart” and a change of leadership was needed.

With a large student population, Phakathi said it was an indictment on the City’s administration and law enforcement agencies that Durban is not safe for that demographic and so the high rates of crime should be reduced.

Cleanliness, said Phakathi, was another service delivery issue that needs to be addressed, especially in the city centre, together with the issue of dilapidated buildings, some illegally occupied.

“There has to be a change when it comes to that too,” said Phakathi, who criticised some law enforcement members who seem to target street vendors trying to make an honest living, by demanding that they produce permits, while criminals brazenly carry out their unlawful activities.

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