‘Sassa and Home Affairs access should be easy for all’
Residents of Eersterust can look forward to easier access to Sassa and Home Affairs officers if a councillor in Eersterust has her way.
Eersterust faces several challenges, including water leaks, illegal dumping, neglect, and crime hotspots.
But these are not the only problems that DA councillor, Novina Pillay, wants to fix.
Access to services is one of the key benefits that she wants for residents in 2025.
“I want to see people’s lives being made easier. Residents should feel heard and supported. I will push for inclusive development that benefits the entire community,” said Pillay.
Projects that she is concentrating on are making access to the collection of Sassa grants easier for residents of Eersterust.
“Our people have to travel quite a distance to utilise services available at Sassa offices. This is especially hard on our elderly residents as well as for people that are wheelchair bound as public transport has no facilities for them,” said Pillay.
She said she also works closely with the Department of Home Affairs to help residents gain easier access to its services.
“I want Home Affairs to come to different wards around Tshwane and am working hard and spending much time to achieve this ideal.”
She is concerned about complaints about long waiting times at clinics and the need for better library resources.
“I am advocating for extended clinic hours, better staff allocation, and improved library services through engagement with the relevant departments.”
She mentioned that there are discussions about revitalising the Civic Centre to better serve the community.
“I am fighting for funding to fix structural issues and improve the facilities which are also meant for public use.”
She feels persons with intellectual disabilities are not recognised when it comes to government services.
“I know as I had a daughter with an intellectual disability,” said Pillay.
Pillay supports the Community Upliftment Precinct memorandum of understanding recently signed with the metro.
“I also want to start with patrollers on bicycles for a safety project,” said Pillay.
She feels that the metro should also budget to address the biggest social issues in Eersterust and include provisions to combat unemployment, substance abuse, and a lack of youth development opportunities.
“With metro funding, we can improve skills development programmes, support local small businesses, and invest in recreational spaces for the youth. I am pushing for better funding for social development projects that empower the community of Eersterust.”
Her strategy to enable better service delivery is to report and escalate urgent maintenance needs, track progress with the metro and hold the region accountable.
“I am also considering proposals for long-term infrastructure upgrades in the next Integrated Development Plan. I need the community to assist me by reporting issues to the metro and requesting reference numbers for their service delivery requests. I will escalate these as urgent and important.”
There are also ongoing discussions about housing developments, road rehabilitation, new road projects, and potential business hubs to create employment.
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