Centurion residents and ward councillors are concerned over the ongoing decline in basic service delivery in the area despite Tshwane’s claims of financial stability and good governance.
Those on the ground have painted a picture of growing neglect, broken infrastructure, and deepening frustration.
Matthew Du Plesis, a resident of Lyttelton, said streetlights in most of the area have been out for months.
“It’s a safety issue. We’ve logged multiple complaints, and nothing gets done. At this point, it feels like we’ve just been forgotten,” he said.
Sophia Spies from Eldoraigne said water from burst pipes runs down the road for days before anyone responds.
“There are leaks in the area almost every week,” she said.
She said the water just flows into stormwater drains.
“It’s extremely wasteful.”
Councillors are demanding a scheduled maintenance programme that prioritises urgent needs like streetlight repairs, pothole fixing and tree pruning.
Ward 70 councillor Marika Kruger-Muller said delays in attending to basic services like water and sewer repairs have become routine.
“Repairs don’t happen within two days. It often takes three to five days of follow-ups, sometimes longer,” she said. “After a sewer overflow was reported on a Sunday, it was only attended to on the Wednesday. We are way past acceptable standards.”
Kruger-Muller also criticised road maintenance, highlighting unfilled potholes and unfinished work, where not even safety barriers have been put up.
She believes budget allocation is skewed, with Region 4 receiving significantly less compared to other areas, despite being a major revenue contributor.
“We don’t need watchman’ services; we need technology and proper partnerships with private security firms to protect our substations from cable theft,” she said.
Ward 69 councillor Cindy Billson said that while a stable Moody’s rating may suggest financial health, it does not reflect operational capacity or the lived experience of residents, which is defined by service delivery and not spreadsheets.
She said in her ward, frequent water pipe bursts, electricity outages, and deteriorating roads are the norm.
Billson said capital projects to improve dolomitic areas have been cancelled due to budget cuts, and residents now often donate materials to keep basic repairs going.
“Despite being one of the city’s highest revenue contributors, Centurion increasingly experiences delayed responses, material shortages, equipment breakdowns, and premature case closures.”
“Residents are losing confidence not because of politics, but because basic issues are left unresolved despite repeated logging,” said Billson.
She added that departments are reactive rather than proactive because of cash flow issues, and this is affecting everything from road maintenance to streetlights.
Ward 57 councillor David Farquharson noted that while the electricity department’s response times are not unreasonable, water and sanitation services are falling short.
“Burst meter replacements are slow, sewer blockages are taking longer, and road maintenance is inconsistent,” he said.
“Road maintenance is very erratic. The supply of hot asphalt is not consistent, and some days potholes are repaired, and then you don’t see the team for a while.”
Farquharson believes far too much money is being channelled into non-core functions, while essential services suffer.
“Centurion loses 60% of its electricity budget to cable theft. Instead of more talk, we need high-tech solutions and better supply chain management.”
As these frustrations grow, the metro maintains its finances are in a healthier state.
MMC for Finance Eugene Modise recently announced that Tshwane’s stable credit rating reflects its improved financial standing.
“We’ve reduced debt, enhanced revenue collection, and maintained prudent fiscal management,” he said, citing the city’s “moderate indebtedness”, a liquidity ratio of 4.4, and an operating margin that rose from 10.1% in 2023 to 11.7% this year.
Modise emphasised the success of initiatives like Tshwane Ya Tima and Reclaiming Our City, which aim to clamp down on illegal connections and boost municipal income.
“We are introducing additional revenue streams to enhance service delivery and remain committed to building a fiscally responsible and thriving city,” he said.
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