Residents voice frustration over inconsistent service delivery
While the mayor boasts of progress in addressing the backlog on city infrastructure repairs on social media, city officials and residents dispute this, naming unresolved potholes, broken streetlights, and water leaks.
Despite official reports of thousands of repairs and maintenance work across Tshwane, residents remain frustrated with what they describe as slow and inconsistent service delivery in their neighbourhoods.
Tshwane Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya posted a summary on her official X account earlier this month, claiming the following backlogs were addressed as of mid-May:
– 7 853 water leaks
– 3 698 potholes
– repair of more than 5 700 streetlights.
Today, we hosted a 6 months progress media briefing:
As at 16 May 2025, the following reported backlogs were addressed:
• Water Leaks: 7 853
• Pothole Repairs: 3 698
• Streetlight Repairs: 5 711
• High-mast Streetlight Repairs: 231
• Sewer Blockages: 4 144This… pic.twitter.com/bkDk5nhj8q
— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 22, 2025
However, this contrasts sharply with the experiences of residents and local councillors, who paint a less rosy picture.
East resident Mila Rossouw said the mayor needs a one-on-one with residents to explain where the stats are from.
“A couple of weeks ago, I had to fix my car that was damaged by a pothole in Waterkloof.
“All they do is give incorrect stats and post on social media to make it seem like they are working.”
Ward councillor Lida Erasmus expressed her dissatisfaction, stating, “In my ward [47], there are still many potholes, water leaks, and streetlights not working.”
She pointed out that while some repairs have been made, such as fixing one street with a streetlight problem and a broken day-night switch means many areas remain in darkness.
“They spent a week fixing a few potholes, including a big one on Delmas Road, but most of the ward is still waiting,” she added.
Erasmus also highlighted that water leaks tend to take days or even weeks to address.
Ward councillor Shane Maas also reported ongoing issues with streetlights in his ward [42].
“Residents complain, but there’s no response,” he said.
Maas added that there is a streetlight in front of his house that has been out of commission for six months.
He acknowledged some improvements in water leak responses in Region 3, but criticised pothole repairs as inconsistent, with repair teams fixing one pothole and ignoring others nearby.
“This creates the illusion that city repairs are more comprehensive than they are,” he said.
Maas also expressed concern about the overall response times, noting that it now takes on average three days, sometimes up to 10, to resolve issues – a far cry from residents’ expectations of a 24-hour turnaround.
The performance of the Princess Park depot, responsible for servicing his ward, has reportedly collapsed, with a 96-hour response window.
“Residents find this unacceptable.”
Region 3 pothole patching: Waterkloof, Queenswood and Pretoria West. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/s5CNjji36k
— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 20, 2025
Our teams were out in full force today in Hazelwood and Waterkloof in Pretoria East. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/smK0RoWCBD
— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) May 20, 2025
The mayor’s office did not respond to Rekord’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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