Mayor Randall Williams assured residents this week that backlogs of unfixed street lights, potholes, unkempt cemeteries, parks, pavements and libraries would be attended to.
“To address these backlogs, we have deployed a multi-pronged approach to tackle the multitude of issues we have encountered since assuming office,” Williams said.
For years, residents have been complaining about, among other things, dark streets that often saw them become victims of crime, potholes that cause damages to their cars and unkempt cemeteries.
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However, Williams blamed the team of administrators that were appointed in March last year, saying they had ignored residents’ needs for eight months.
“These backlogs ran back for a period of eight months in virtually every sphere of what was required from the city in terms of basic service delivery,” he said.
“Multi-pronged approached has been deployed to fix streetlights, repair potholes and cut grass across Tshwane.”
On streetlights, he said the metro has implemented a daily tracker across Pretoria where teams were ensuring that major arterial roads and streets are fully illuminated while also addressing individual complaints submitted to the city.
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He said streetlight repair trucks were out during the day, testing the streetlights to change globes and replace cabling.
“Ensuring that the city is well lit is a core political priority. An illuminated city is a safe city.
“While in the evening we have deployed scouts to continuously assess which areas remain in darkness.”
Regarding potholes, Williams said the metro recently appointed new suppliers of bitumen to ensure that hot asphalt is prepared to fix potholes.
He said the use of hot asphalt would ensure that the patching and repairs of the city’s streets lasts well into the future and are not undone by adverse weather conditions and heavy rain.
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“Across the city’s seven regions, grass cutting teams are being appointed and deployed to address the inherited backlogs,” he said.
“They are following a structured and strategic approach, working through cemeteries, libraries, city facilities, parks, pavements and other public spaces,” Williams said.
“I want to assure residents that teams across all the critical core service delivery areas are working tirelessly to make sure their focus is directed towards addressing backlogs.”
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