Remain vigilant – and keep your verges clean!

I am writing this feedback article in my role as the chairperson of the Ilembe constituency of the DA.

Councillors in the greater Ballito, Salt Rock, and Sheffield Beach have been busy undertaking oversight visits to state-run institutions.

Areas we have covered include SAPS in Stanger, Umhlali and Mandeni to investigate the level of service, which has led to our MP Dean Macpherson raising issues in parliament and asking for a sit down with the minister of police to see what can be done about the crime statistics and conviction rate.

We also looked into the long queues at the Department of South African Social Security’s Agency (SASSA) offices in Stanger and the need to have numerous return visits to the offices to do such tasks as registering of new recipients.

We assisted a young mother of triplets who had been trying unsuccessfully to register the triplets for the child support grants to get her situation resolved in around 45 minutes after she had been turned away on four occasions previously.

We were also able to assist a group of women in Shaka’s Head who have established a veggie garden through which they are producing vegetables not only for their own consumption and their communities but are also able to sell some to raise some much-needed funds for themselves.

Also read: A house of hope for Shaka’s Head youth

We also visited farmers in the Mangeta area of Mandeni to hear about the challenges they face with land occupation and how these are being addressed by the authorities.

This was a wonderful chance to meet and engage with the Dunn family who have lived and farmed sugar cane there for more than 100 years, a most rewarding day spent with the most hospitable people.

We have also been faced with our own version of a land invasion in Sheffield but thanks to the matter being brought to our attention by some alert residents we were able to get the municipality and the SAPS involved and the occupiers and illegal structures were removed.

Please remain vigilant and advise the councillors should you see anything untoward. Speed is what counts in resolving these matters.

Next up will be Home Affairs in Stanger and the clinics in Ballito, Shakaskraal and Stanger Hospital.

In the meantime, we continue to do our work in council making sure that we keep our eyes on the finances and how they are spent by the municipality and trying our best to get street lights and potholes fixed.

Finally I would like to appeal to the residents of the whole area to take ownership of their pavements and verges.

Please keep them clean and cut back as we are going into the summer and they quickly get overgrown.

Regards and may you all have a wonderful summer season leading to 2019 and the national elections.

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