Push for better service delivery in Centurion
Ongoing repairs and a new fleet of cherry pickers are part of Tshwane’s strategy to improve basic services, but councillors warn that poor coordination is undermining progress.
The Tshwane metro is working to improve the quality and consistency of service delivery in Centurion with a range of targeted maintenance efforts and long-term structural reforms.
This is according to MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, who recently outlined the metro’s ongoing initiatives in Region 4, where several areas are currently benefiting from a range of daily maintenance operations.
She said streetlight maintenance was completed in wards 69, 78, 65, 48, 57, 61, and 64 between June 30 and July 5.
“Areas that received attention during this period include Eldoraigne, Zwartkop, Highveld, Lyttelton, Erasmia, Laudium, Rooihuiskraal, and The Reeds,” said Morodi.
Dear residents of Centurion we are happy to announce that after many years of the failed Da Tshwane administration our Centurion R55 street lights are on . We continue to correct the Da 8 years mess #EFFinGovernment pic.twitter.com/6YmRlD8XsI
— Obakeng COT MMC Environmental Agriculture . (@RamaboduObakeng) July 2, 2025
“At the same time, stormwater infrastructure was serviced in wards 61, 77, 57, and 70, covering locations such as Laudium, Olievenhoutbosch, Sunderland Ridge, Wierdapark, and Lyttelton.”
Morodi said grass cutting was conducted between July 1 and 4 in wards 57, 65, 64, 61, and 69, including Die Hoewes, Highveld, Laudium, Rooihuiskraal, and Eldoraigne.
Just received work that @CityTshwane Region 4 Urban Management team is cutting grass at Lenchen and Magiel Street, Hennopspark today. Thank you for logging the call🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/drbOwLQxOw
— Henriette Frohlich (@henriettefroh) June 30, 2025
“Tree pruning took place in Pierre van Ryneveld, Wierdapark, The Reeds, and Eldoraigne, that fall within wards 70, 64, 69, and 79.”
Thank you, @CityTshwane Region 4 Urban Management Team for trimming trees that were touching overhead wires at Villagers Lane, Irene. #CenturionMatters pic.twitter.com/ONYtbpXaPG
— Henriette Frohlich (@henriettefroh) June 23, 2025
She added that these functions form part of daily operations in the metro and are not tied to a fixed project timeline.
“Maintenance work takes place every day and includes potholes, tree pruning, grass cutting, stormwater, and streetlights.
“Our goal is to ensure equitable service delivery to all areas without prejudice,” she said.
To strengthen internal capacity and reduce reliance on private contractors, Morodi confirmed that on June 3, the metro has acquired additional cherry pickers, as part of its plan to purchase 100 in total.
Good morning Tshwane. We’ve have just unveiled 14 Cherry Pickers that will be distributed to our regional teams to enhance service delivery. This first batch of 14 vehicles forms part 100 that we expect in this financial year. For years, our workforce has grappled with a shortage… pic.twitter.com/KqNgUvw4Sc
— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) June 3, 2025
“The cherry pickers are a vital part of improving electricity and streetlight repairs, while also supporting functions such as tree pruning. It’s part of a broader strategy to enhance in-house capability and cut unnecessary costs,” she said.
The metro has also refurbished and reopened the Pretorius Park Depot, which will now focus on servicing water, sanitation, and electricity vehicles.
“The depot, previously shut due to a shift toward outsourcing, now boasts modern technology that can identify driver negligence and ensure accountability through improved supervision.
“This is a key move toward ensuring quicker response times and better control over municipal resources,” Morodi added.
She added that to further support parks and horticultural services, the metro recently allocated R11-million to procure tools and equipment across all seven regions.
She said the metro has started purchasing a total of 687 various tools and equipment, such as ride-on rotary mowers, mechanical hedge pruners, chainsaws, brush cutters, and pole pruners.
Good morning Tshwane. Today, we are arming our workforce with tools of the trade. We are handing over handover the first batch of over 450 pieces of horticultural equipment to further
accelerate service delivery throughout our city. This equipment will be distributed across our 7… pic.twitter.com/F41R0hc2SQ— Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) July 2, 2025
In Olievenhoutbosch, resident Sizakhele Skhosana said she was pleased to see recent repairs to streetlights near the clinic on Legong Street.
“Walking in the early morning darkness was a daily reality for many of us. I had to take my children to the clinic before sunrise, and it was terrifying.”
She recalled instances where she had to hold her breath and walk fast every time she heard footsteps behind her.
“Since the lights were fixed, things have changed. I finally feel safe on those streets. It’s a big relief, and I hope the city keeps it up,” said Skhosana.
Ward 106 Councillor, Kenneth Masha, confirmed the repairs and said he was informed ahead of the work on both Legong and Rethabile streets, and this allowed him to monitor progress.
However, he expressed concern over communication gaps with city officials.
“Some maintenance work is well executed, but too often the teams don’t inform us. That makes it hard to track what’s been done and to give accurate feedback to residents.
“I understand the MMC acts on input from the regional councillors’ forum, and I can’t fault her for that, but the ground-level teams must improve their coordination with councillors.”
In Valhalla, resident Isaiah Le Roux said he’s noticed improvements, but believes the metro still has work to do.
“It’s clear the metro is trying, and we appreciate the effort, but we need better communication. We often don’t know what’s happening until it’s already done, or until we notice something hasn’t been fixed.”
Councillors from other wards shared concerns about inconsistent delivery.
Ward 69 Councillor Cindy Billson said some backfilling had been completed, but other work was done poorly.
“Streetlight maintenance in June focused mostly on Ward 70, not ours. I’ve approved two community projects where residents will handle their own streetlight installations, and we’re planning a larger one for the ward,” she said.
In her update to residents on her June 2025 Region 4 report, Billson mentioned that 49 out of 99 pothole repair requests in Ward 69 had been addressed and completed, but that five service trenches remain open.
“On electricity, the number of abnormal feeder cables has dropped from 107 in October 2023 to 41 in May 2025.”
Billson added that vandalism of substations continues to contribute to power outages.
“Water service performance has been more positive, with 87 out of 103 complaints resolved in May, and all 30 wastewater complaints fully addressed.”
Ward 70 Councillor Marika Kruger Muller criticised the current process for streetlight maintenance prioritisation.
“Councillors are asked to pick three or four streets for repairs, which I believe is unfair. That system ignores long-standing complaints and opens the door to favouritism.
“I also receive complaints about unresolved issues that are marked as fixed, and that’s very worrying.”
Ward 64 Councillor Alta de Kock said with the recent maintenance work, little impact was felt in her ward.
“Only one block had grass cut. Streetlights are still a major concern, and cable theft is another huge issue. One of the traffic lights has been out for more than a week. Substation security is a priority right now.”
Ward 57 Councillor David Farquharson said some parks had been maintained well and a few streetlights fixed, but overall progress has been slow.
“There’s a major reorganisation underway to split water and electricity into separate departments under a regional operations centre.
“That could be positive, but right now water repairs are taking too long, and that’s concerning.”
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
