With the ongoing Gatvol Campaign’s support growing, it also provides a platform for all residents and towns falling under the City of Mbombela (CoM) to raise their concerns about undelivered services.

Meanwhile, the CoM’s municipal manager, Wiseman Khumalo, said service delivery is the municipality’s first priority, even though some of the issues have not yet been attended to. He reiterated what seems to have become the CoM’s slogan: “The municipality is in the process of attending to all the grievances, but that is not a one-day job.”

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He also said the municipality is working on a programme that will enhance service delivery to its residents, which would be announced soon.

According to Khumalo, the faulty streetlights on various streets in Mbombela “are getting the attention they need.”

He said the CoM is aware of the major concerns in all the towns within its purview regarding dysfunctional streetlights. “The municipality is serving various communities that need attention. We only have a limited budget to install streetlights, thus some areas do not have them yet. We cannot ignore the fact that the street- and traffic lights are being damaged by people who drive into them and also by cable theft. That is where the community needs to come on board and work with the municipality by reporting all illegal activities,” he said.

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“Potholes are another one of the challenges the CoM is facing, as some roads need to be rehabilitated. While the municipality still sources some funds for patching potholes, it’s an ongoing process. Despite the rains that are causing a backlog, the potholes are being attended to. We are aware there are some areas that haven’t received attention for quite some time, but they are not being ignored and they must not stop reporting their issues to the CoM. The heavy rains damaged some roads in villages and people were forced to abandon their cars since their roads were so badly damaged,” he said. Khumalo added that Barberton is part of the CoM’s service area and that there are plans in place to attend to their grievances.

Khumalo said the water issue is also a priority; “to make sure all residents receive clean water, in both urban and rural areas.” He emphasised that people should continue to report any issues they have.