Service delivery challenges affecting communities across Region 1 once again came under the spotlight during a Regional Councillors Forum held at the Akasia Municipal Chamber on May 5.

The meeting, which brought together councillors from different wards within the region, focused on ongoing issues affecting residents, including electricity outages, potholes, broken streetlights, sanitation problems and overgrown grass.

Officials responsible for departments such as water and sanitation, as well as electricity, were also present to respond to concerns raised by councillors.

One of the biggest concerns discussed during the engagement was the low attendance of councillors at the forum.

Ward 2 councillor Quentin Meyer said, “To be honest, one of the major concerns from the meeting was the low attendance of councillors.

“These forums are important because they provide an opportunity for councillors to raise the challenges their communities are facing directly with municipal departments.”

He explained that councillors from several wards voiced frustrations over persistent service delivery problems that continue to impact residents on a daily basis.

“The majority of complaints raised during the meeting were service delivery related. Councillors from different wards expressed frustrations regarding streetlights not being repaired, potholes, overgrown grass, sanitation issues, and ongoing electricity problems affecting residents daily,” he said.

Meyer specifically highlighted the ongoing electricity challenges affecting wards 2 and 98, particularly the repeated power outages experienced almost every weekend.

“Residents are extremely frustrated, and it has become one of the biggest concerns in our communities,” he said.

According to the MMC responsible for Region 1, Alderman Aaron Maluleka, the forum plays a critical role in strengthening service delivery co-ordination between councillors and municipal departments.

He said the engagement is intended to ensure that challenges raised in communities are formally escalated and addressed through structured departmental responses.

Maluleka acknowledged concerns raised during the meeting, including infrastructure failures and service delivery backlogs, and said departments have been instructed to prioritise urgent issues raised by councillors.

He added that while budget discussions are necessary for planning, the focus remains on improving implementation and ensuring that residents begin to experience visible improvements in their daily lives.

According to Meyer, officials from the electricity department indicated that funding has been allocated towards upgrades at the Van Riebeeck Substation, where ageing infrastructure is expected to be replaced.

While this was welcomed, Meyer stressed that residents are eager to see tangible progress instead of promises.

“While this is positive news, residents want to see implementation and results on the ground as soon as possible,” he added.

Meyer also criticised the manner in which some departments addressed councillors during the meeting, saying too much focus was placed on budget discussions instead of practical solutions.

“One of my biggest concerns about the meeting was that many departments focused heavily on budgets and figures rather than providing clear solutions and timeframes,” he said.

“We continuously heard about budget allocations, but residents are not interested only in hearing about budgets; they want visible service delivery improvements, functioning infrastructure, and quicker response times.”

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