Ivory Park residents faced frustration on September 18 after a service delivery meeting with City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero and municipal entities was postponed.

The meeting, scheduled for 15:00 at the Ivory Park North Community Hall, aimed to address ongoing community concerns, including water and electricity outages, sewage blockages, potholes, and municipal services. However, residents who gathered at the venue were left frustrated when officials arrived about an hour late to announce that the engagement would not proceed. Morero was present alongside members of the mayoral committee, councillors, and other city officials.

The postponement followed concerns that officials lacked comprehensive information to respond to issues affecting greater Ivory Park’s eight wards.

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Regional director for Region A Papi Macmillan Telekoa told residents the decision aimed to ensure the city provided complete information and meaningful responses. He explained that the mayor and MMCs would not address residents during the postponed gathering because officials lacked adequate answers to expected questions.

“We do not want to give you incomplete information and create confusion,” said Telekoa.
The engagement initially followed concerns raised by residents to the South African Local Government Association regarding electricity challenges involving Eskom. Telekoa said the scope of the engagement had expanded to include water supply, potholes, illegal dumping, and Pikitup services. “We want to come back holistically and speak of everything. Not to cause confusion,” he said.

According to Telekoa, the city intends to return to the community within two weeks, with a larger meeting involving the relevant officials and municipal entities.

Ward 133 councillor Teboho Marumo supported the postponement, stating local councillors had raised concerns about co-ordination and scope. Marumo said his ward had eight damaged transformers and that the number increased to approximately 40 when other affected wards were included. He also highlighted the ward’s 61 gravel roads and concerns affecting informal settlements, including Mabena informal settlement.

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He said councillors had agreed that the meeting should be properly co-ordinated to ensure all affected communities could participate. “We are going to have a meeting that is properly co-ordinated two weeks from now.”

He called on residents to attend the next engagement once the date is announced, adding that Eskom, municipal entities, and the mayor should be involved in addressing the community’s concerns.

Despite the explanations from officials, several residents did not agree with or understand the decision to postpone the meeting. Some questioned whether the same number of residents would attend the next engagement, arguing that the meeting should have proceeded as planned.

The city is expected to announce a new date for the proposed engagement scheduled within the next two weeks. The meeting is intended to cover service delivery concerns across greater Ivory Park’s eight wards and provide residents with an opportunity to engage the relevant authorities.

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