Soshanguve residents hoping for change
"We have been staying in the area since 1991 but are still struggling with basic service deliveries."
It was a smooth affair at most polling stations as residents in the north of Pretoria voted on Monday morning.
Ward 27 residents in Soshanguve block R called on the incoming ward councillor to prioritise service delivery in the area.
Residents of the area voted at Nchuncheko Primary School on Monday morning.
Some residents said they have been staying in the area since 1991, but they were still struggling with basic service deliveries.
“We still do not have roads, we always struggle with water, electricity and illegal dumping. We also would like the incoming councillor to resolve the billing system because one month you owe R300 and the next month you owe R20 00, so we would like a consistent billing system.”
Matlakala Modiba said she would like the incoming councillor to prioritise the construction of roads and job creation for unemployed youth.
“We were the first to arrive here in block R but we still don’t have roads. The billing system is not accurate. We have been getting letters demanding that we pay or face cuts off.
“Where will we get this money because we are old and we cannot afford these rates,” Modiba said.
“Our children are not working while they are giving jobs to people who are close to them. They have been very active now because we have to vote but after they occupy the positions, we will not see them. All the previous councillors did not help us with anything so we hope this one will change.”
Another resident of the area, Paulos Pitjane said he only want the next person to listen to their cries and be able to respond.
“We want clean water, electricity and someone that is reliable. Service delivery has been slow in this area.”
Miriam Bangindawo said she wants the next councillor to attend to all their standing problems in relation to service delivery.
“They built me a rubbish RDP house, the geyser has never worked, it’s always leaking water. There’s water leaking from the wall and I have tried to fix some of the things but the problems persist.
“We just wish he can fix everything that residents are complaining about and create jobs for our children.”
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