Improving infrastructure, addressing community safety concerns and strengthening communication with residents are among Nompumelelo Precious Zuma’s priorities for Ward 17.

Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MK Party) candidate Nompumelelo Precious Zuma says she wants to address infrastructure problems and improve residents’ quality of life in Ward 17.

Zuma has lived in Kempton Park for 20 years and works as an internal sales representative at Supra Healthcare (Pty) Ltd. She also served as treasurer of the school governing body at Laerskool Kempton Park Primary School for 10 years.

In her responses to the Kempton Express election questionnaire, Zuma identified concerns including potholes, broken traffic lights, damaged streetlights, leaking drains, cable theft and the condition of public spaces. She also raised concerns about hijacked buildings, illegal taverns and the need for stronger cooperation between residents, schools and police.

Meet the candidate

1. Please introduce yourself to residents.

Zuma describes herself as a 48-year-old Kempton Park resident who has lived in the area for two decades. She works as an internal sales representative at Supra Healthcare and says she served as treasurer of the school governing body at Laerskool Kempton Park Primary School for 10 years.

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

Zuma says she was motivated by what she sees as the deterioration of Kempton Park’s CBD.

She points to concerns including hijacked buildings, potholes, broken traffic lights, overgrown grass, cable theft, leaking drains and businesses allegedly operating without permits. She says she wants to help address these problems and improve residents’ quality of life.

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

Zuma identifies building hijackings and alleged criminal activity, infrastructure and service-delivery problems, and the impact of illegal taverns as key concerns.

She says some hijacked houses and buildings have become places associated with crime and drug manufacturing. She also highlights potholes, broken streetlights, cable theft, leaking drains and neglected public spaces, which she says affect safety and community wellbeing.

Her plans for Ward 17

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

Zuma says she would prioritise repairing potholes, improving street lighting and ensuring regular trimming of trees and grass along roads.

She says these measures would improve visibility, safety and the appearance of the community.

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

Zuma says she would work with residents and the municipality to report and follow up on service-delivery problems.

Her focus would include potholes, cable theft, damaged streetlights and traffic lights. She proposes regular monitoring and communication to track reported problems and encourage the relevant authorities to address them.

6. How would you improve communication between residents, the ward councillor and the City of Ekurhuleni?

Zuma proposes creating community WhatsApp groups and holding regular meetings to keep residents informed.

She says clear communication would allow residents to raise concerns quickly, share information and follow up on service-delivery matters.

7. How would you ensure residents’ concerns are followed up and that they receive feedback?

Zuma says she would hold monthly community meetings and provide updates through WhatsApp, telephone calls, emails and other communication channels.

She says regular follow-ups and being visible in the community would help residents understand the progress being made on reported issues.

Community safety and accountability

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

Zuma believes there needs to be greater cooperation between the community, schools and police.

If elected, she says she would promote stronger partnerships and communication to address crime, social challenges and other community concerns.

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

Zuma says residents should be able to assess her performance through her visibility and accessibility, responsiveness to calls and messages, attendance at community meetings, and follow-up on reported concerns.

She says she would aim to provide feedback and work consistently towards addressing problems raised by residents.

10. Why should residents consider voting for you?

Zuma says she listens to residents, analyses problems and seeks practical solutions. She describes herself as committed to serving the community with honesty, accountability and dedication, and says she would remain accessible while focusing on improving Ward 17.