Residents of ward 13, in Promosa, awoke to a day where a long overdue promise to electrify their streets and houses came to fruition. Plans to install electricity distribution poles were underway on 21 June with work subsequently undertaken by the municipality’s electricity department.

Councillor, Glenville Fransman, hopes that this process is the start of a solution that will be carried over to other informal settlements.

“We hope and we pray that there can be more money made available, especially for other informal settlements where we are currently facing a great challenge with illegal connections,” he said.

As a resident of ward 13 himself, Fransman expresses that service delivery in the area is a concern that has taken the municipality some time to address: “This is a site that has for many years been behind with these things (service delivery), they (residents) should have been getting toilets by now, roads and everything, but we understand that at least they are trying to do something,” Fransman said.

The municipality, on their official Facebook page, said the endeavour “is a huge step forward in our ongoing efforts to improve the lives of everyone in our community by speeding up the delivery of essential services.”

The Potchefstroom Herald, is yet to receive comment from the ward councillor and the municipal spokesperson regarding the matter.