Ward 13 candidate Zanele Chricentia Sangweni says road infrastructure, municipal service delivery, youth employment and greater accountability are among her priorities if elected.

The MK Party’s Ward 13 candidate, Zanele Chricentia Sangweni, says she wants to improve service delivery, strengthen communication with residents and address infrastructure and community safety concerns.

Sangweni, who says she has lived on Kwartel Road since 1997, describes herself as a community activist with experience in outreach, safety marshalling, patrolling and supporting vulnerable households.

In her responses to the Kempton Express election questionnaire, she outlined proposals ranging from road reconstruction and municipal fault tracking to youth employment initiatives and greater accountability from service providers.

Meet the candidate

1. Please introduce yourself to residents.

Sangweni says she is a long-standing Ward 13 resident and community activist. She cites her experience in community outreach, safety marshalling, patrolling and supporting vulnerable households, adding that she is committed to advocating for service delivery.

2. Why have you decided to stand for election in this ward?

Sangweni says she believes the ward needs an accessible and present councillor. She identifies service-delivery concerns, youth unemployment and residents feeling unheard as factors that motivated her to stand.

She also says she wants to bring the MK Party’s People’s Mandate to the community.

3. What are the three biggest challenges currently facing the ward?

Sangweni identifies the condition of Boomkruiper/Ossewa Road, alleged by-law violations at Maraboe Centre and unreliable municipal services as major concerns.

She says the road requires capital-funded reconstruction rather than continued patching. Regarding Maraboe Centre, she raises concerns about noise, access control, alleged illegal drinking and alleged municipal by-law violations.

She also cites water and electricity reliability, waste collection, streetlights, youth unemployment and alleged drug-related activity at Birch Acres Park as issues requiring attention.

Her plans for Ward 13

4. What would be your top three priorities during your first year in office?

Sangweni says she would pursue the reconstruction of Boomkruiper/Ossewa Road through capital expenditure, seek enforcement of municipal by-laws at Maraboe Centre and improve the handling of water and electricity faults.

She proposes a system for tracking faults and providing feedback within 72 hours. She also wants to compile a household audit and business register and connect young people with support from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (SEDFA).

Sangweni proposes a target of 60% local employment, although her submission does not specify the projects or employers to which this target would apply.

5. What specific steps would you take to address service-delivery challenges?

Sangweni says Ward 13 faces a challenge because different parts of Birch Acres are serviced through different municipal service arrangements, which she describes as Kempton Park serving older Birch Acres and Tembisa serving newer Birch Acres.

If elected, she says she would engage the relevant service providers, establish clear contact channels and relay updates so residents know where to report problems and can receive information about their complaints.

6. How would you improve communication between residents, the ward councillor and the municipality?

Sangweni proposes establishing WhatsApp broadcast groups for individual extensions, working with street committee leaders and creating youth podcasts.

She also wants to hold monthly family-day meetings, share municipal notices and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) updates timeously, and remain accessible to residents.

7. How would you ensure residents’ concerns are followed up?

Sangweni says she would record each complaint with its date, reference number and photograph, then track progress on a spreadsheet.

She proposes providing feedback within 72 hours in collaboration with the ward committee and publishing monthly service-delivery reports so residents can monitor progress.

Education and accountability

8. What issue in the ward has not received enough attention?

Sangweni raises concerns about delays involving Birch Acres Primary School, which she says date back to 2018, as well as the construction of new schools without adequate community consultation.

She says she would request a full report from the Gauteng Department of Education on the school’s budget and delays, convene a community meeting, establish a parent monitoring team and escalate the matter through the MK Party to the provincial legislature.

9. How would you measure your performance as a ward councillor?

Sangweni says residents should assess her performance through measurable results, including progress towards reconstructing Boomkruiper/Ossewa Road, addressing concerns at Maraboe Centre, tracking service faults and providing feedback within 72 hours.

She also cites the proposed business register and local employment target, monthly public reports, and progress on schools, water and streetlights as measures of accountability.

10. Why should residents consider voting for you?

Sangweni describes herself as accessible, accountable and community-focused. She says she would work to address corruption, pursue opportunities for young people, create jobs and improve service delivery transparently in line with the MK Party’s stated priorities.