Tensions are rising between residents of Mamelodi East Extension 6 and those of Phomolong informal settlement over the slow installation of services.
Ward 40 councillor Dorcas Maja said the residents would continue to fight each other unless the Tshwane metro acted fast to fulfill its promise of service delivery to the people.
“The residents of Phomolong informal settlement and residents of Extension 6 are fighting each other because of services that were promised to informal settlement residents.
“Therefore, the Tshwane metro needs to improve service delivery to the people or the fight will continue between the two groups of residents.”
She said Phomolong residents were illegally connecting electricity as there was none in their area.
Maja was speaking after residents clashed over illegal connections at a nearby meter box.
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Residents want to know what happened to the service delivery budget that was set aside for Phomolong informal settlement last year.
She said both groups of residents belonged to her ward and the fight could only be stopped by the Tshwane metro providing services.
Maja said illegal connections had been reported to the metro offices, but said this could have been prevented if the municipality had delivered as promised.
She said the latest illegal connections were reported at the weekend to the metro “and they came to fix the meter box”.
However, she said that on Wednesday morning Phomolong residents were it again, illegally connecting electricity from the same meter box.
Mamelodi East Extension 6 resident Jabulani Baloyi said they were fighting with Phomolong residents because “they want to illegally connect power from our meter box”.
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He said the illegal connection caused power failures “and as residents of Extension 6 who are paying for the services … we cannot take this anymore”.
“Phomolong residents should stop what they are doing because when they illegally connect electricity from the meter box, we suffer from the resulting power trips. The metro should move that box far away from those people,” Baloyi said.
He claimed that Phomolong residents were paying someone to effect the connections and that it would be better if the metro could install a temporary meter box while Phomolong residents waited for service delivery.
The Tshwane metro was yet to comment at the time of going to print.
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