WARD 35 councillor elect Jacques Poupard has vowed to make service delivery his priority after being entrusted by residents to be their representative in eThekwini council.

Poupard was elected into office by the majority of the registered voters in Prestondale, Izinga, Virginia, Glenashley, La Lucia, uMhlanga/Ridge, and Sommerset Park.

He received 21 423 (84.64%) votes, an improvement from 2021’s 15 113 votes, an outright win for him and the DA in the ward.

“I am grateful for the overwhelming confidence that the residents showed in me and the party. Achieving more than 20 000 votes shows the trust that residents have placed in me to get things done for the ward,” he said.

Poupard, who has had to hit the ground running to deliver on his campaign promises, takes over from outgoing councillor Bradley Singh. At the polls on Wednesday, he was able to hold the MKP to 964 votes (3.81%), and ActionSA received 850 (3.36%) votes.

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He has lived and worked in uMhlanga for nearly 30 years and was a PR councillor for a year. Poupard said his business expertise and extensive local knowledge will aid in guiding his tenure as Ward 35 councillor.

“The main concern for the area is water cuts due to ageing infrastructure like the rest of eThekwini. We do not have a major issue with electricity outages,” said Poupard as he laid out his plans.

His focus will also be on crime and safety. “Umhlanga does not have a dedicated police station; this can no longer be the case at the rapid rate that the area is growing.”

He pledged to also tackle illegal construction, unlawful businesses, excessive noise, illegally modified vehicles and dangerous driving which continue to be a major problem in the area.

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“We need more police visibility to be able to combat crime and deal with issues like noise violations and illegally parked taxis which need to have dedicated taxi ranks.”

The area also lacks a community centre which Poupard said will be a priority, along with having fully functional libraries.

“Most importantly, I can promise the residents that I will be available to them and to attend to issues of concerns quickly. Those that are not fixed immediately will be escalated to get results and they will be constantly updated through my social media pages and the dedicated WhatsApp group for the area.”

Jacques Poupard can be reached on 082 658 0728.

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