Hundreds of residents in and around Ward 58 recently met with Mayoral Committee members at the Sammy Marks building in the CBD to address a litany of issues facing the ward.

This follows calls from Ward 58 Councillor, Conride Ngoveni, for a sit-down with the metro.

MMC for Utilities Frans Boshielo and MMC for Human Settlements Alderman Aaron Maluleke were in attendance to address the residents’ gripes and concerns.

One of the issues that was raised was the refurbishment of old oil feeders affecting the areas along Boom Street, Bellom Substation, Pretoria CBD, Capital Park and Edmond area near the Union Buildings.

Ngoveni said the city must replace all these feeders with new ones to avoid outages.

“These feeders, if they can be left unattended heading into winter, will cause outages, and it’s expensive to maintain them,” Ngoveni said.

According to him, MMC Boshielo indicated that the city is working on a maintenance plan while trying to raise R140-million for replacements. The MMC also announced streetlights will be installed in WF Nkomo and Madiba streets, and other strategic routes to deal with the backlog in the CBD and other areas across the city.

The residents, who are social housing beneficiaries, were encouraged to pay their rent to avoid what happened in Thembelihle Village, which the city switched off in July 2022, due to non-payment.

Other topics included ongoing engagements with the owners of Yeast Property Housing on the issue of Schubart Park, and how the development would improve economic conditions around the CBD.

“It was important that the two departments were interlinked and interrelated. We are satisfied that all the various meetings will take place,” Ngoveni said.

He said residents also requested streetlights and traffic lights at the new 1 200-units Townlands social housing scheme around Struben and Cowie streets, where accidents happen every day.

“They also requested a bus to be directed around the area for easy access to the transport network across bus lines. Such engagements are ongoing with Transport and Roads MMC, Tlangi Mokgale,” Ngoveni added.

Boshielo said that, in his role as MMC for Utility Services overseeing the Energy and Electricity Business Unit (EEBU), engaging communities on the city’s plans to stabilise the electricity system is part of his mandate.

He also announced the Solar Street Lights Project, which will soon be implemented along Madiba and Paul Kruger streets in Ward 58.

“This initiative will enhance streetlighting, improve safety, and promote the use of renewable energy within our communities. We remain committed to working together with communities to ensure reliable services and sustainable infrastructure development,” Boshielo said.

Off-grid, solar-powered lighting will be installed to enhance public safety and reduce reliance on conventional electricity, particularly in areas prone to cable theft and vandalism.

Maluleka told residents that the metro is currently in talks with Yeast to settle outstanding debts and strengthen social housing.

“When the development [Thembilhle] was completed, there were problems. We pursued the development because our people were struggling; they couldn’t afford rent,” Maluleka said.

“But when it’s time to pay rent, they must also get services. When there is a lack of services provided, there is a resistance to pay rent and so forth, but the scheme has collapsed. When that scheme collapses, people suffer because they need shelter, and shelter must be in the CBD so the cost of transport can be invested elsewhere, like educating their kids and for the future,” he said.

“We’re at the point of negotiating with Thembilihle about trying to save it.”

Maluleka said an announcement will be made once they have reached an agreement.

Last year, the village oversaw mass evictions due to non-payment of services, despite numerous warnings.

Maluleka said they are hesitant to collaborate with private entities out of fear of further economic strain on ratepayers.

Watch here: https://x.com/i/status/2032798946024714312.

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