The Gatvol Campaign is seeing the City of Mbombela (CoM) rolling up its sleeves and attending to basic service delivery issues.

Some of the problems that had tax payers up in arms are the overgrown parks and grass next to the roads, and the worsening potholes.

The CoM’s spokesperson, Joseph Ngala, said they have begun cutting the grass in some parts of the city, especially on busy roads. However, the constant rain is making it difficult for workers to clear all the affected areas.

ALSO READ: City of Mbombela municipal manager discusses service delivery

With its new Jetpatcher, the municipality is also fixing potholes, however, this could take some time as the persistent rain is hindering their progress.
Ngala dismissed allegations that the Jetpatcher was only earmarked to be used in Mbombela. “The machine will cater to all the areas in the municipality’s jurisdiction. However, we will not only depend on the machine to attend to the potholes. Our service providers and internal staff will also attend to the potholes, according to their schedules or where potholes are reported,” he said.

ALSO READ: Gatvol draws City of Mbombela mayoral response

He also said they are aware of the complaints about faulty streetlights and these repairs are ongoing. Some of the streetlights had been fixed already, but had been damaged again. The issue of cable theft is a big challenge that the municipality is facing as it creates a backlog for them. “The cable theft also affects the streetlights and traffic lights.”

Ngala said: “The residents need to be patient with the municipality while they work on these challenges.”

He is also calling on members of the community to safeguard the infrastructure in their areas. He urged residents to report any problems to the municipality immediately.