Residents want councillor gone

The residents are also threatening to march to the municipal offices to force the government to remove a local councillor for lack of service delivery.

Some members of the local committee contacted The Tembisan over the weekend, claiming that roads in the area have potholes like small graves, while sewerage pipes are leaking, leaving children at risk of getting sick.

The Tembisan visited the area on Saturday and found that some potholes were filled with sewage. Some children were even playing in the dirty water.

One of the residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have been under the same councillor since 2008.

“Ivory Park is the oldest informal settlement in Tembisa, but places like Phomolong, Winnie Mandela and Tsenelong have tarred roads and sustainable sewage pipes. We are under the same municipality as Phomolong, but we are far behind. The only problem with have here is the councillor, as he is only here for the money,” he said.

A local businessman said he has had to buy new tyres for his car because of all the potholes.

“Sometimes we park our cars next to the main road to avoid potholes and we walk. This is impacting negatively on my business. Enough is enough. Remove the councillor or else we will have to block roads and march to the Johannesburg Municipality,” he said.

At the time of going to print, Councillor Mabotja could not be contacted for comment.