Stories that moved Pretoria East
In the year 2023, the east of Pretoria witnessed some infrastructure development progress, a mayor charged with fraud, as well as violent attacks on infrastructure and city workers, while other areas showed little to no development.
In the year 2023, the east of Pretoria witnessed some infrastructure development progress, a mayor charged with fraud, as well as violent attacks on infrastructure and city workers, while other areas showed little to no development.
Pretoria’s eastern parts remained shaken by tragic loss life, while attacks on electricity infrastructure left many powerless and informal settlement residents were reeling from stubborn fires.
Here is a list of the top stories:
“FRAUD MAYOR”
Former Tshwane mayor Murunwa Makwarela was accused of fraud.
The 51-year-old faced Schedule 5 offence charges and appeared in the Pretoria SpecialisedcCommercial Crime Court in May.
He was accused of unconstitutionally holding public office in Tshwane and defrauding the metro of just under R1.5-million from November 6, 2021 to January 20, 2022.
Makwarela held public office in the metro as councillor, then Speaker and mayor thereafter.
He allegedly failed to declare his insolvency to the IEC and Tshwane, continuing to serve as councillor and eventually, mayor.
Before resigning on March 10, Makwarela had allegedly submitted a falsified proof of insolvency rehabilitation to Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler.
NEW TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM
Die Hoërskool Menlo Park and law firm MacRoberts powered up the traffic lights at Atterbury and Rosemary roads in Menlo Park, as well as at the Justice Mahomed and Jan Shoba street intersection in Brooklyn.
The project was executed through the Adopt A Traffic Light initiative by Tshwane that began in 2022 with 12 intersections on a “proof-of-concept” basis.
The project aimed to ensure ease of driving around at night during load-shedding, which could pose a danger to motorists who have to cope with non-working traffic lights at intersections.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro was approached by school governing bodies, shopping centres and businesses for permission to supply alternative power to traffic signals at adjacent intersections in case of load-shedding.
Mashigo said the initiative would run on a case-by-case basis.
@CityTshwane
ELECTRICITY INFRASTURCTURE ATTACKS OCCUR IN EAST
Pretoria east was also subjected to numerous attacks on its electrical infrastructure in 2023.
Nobody had been arrested for the October 10 incident in which Eskom guards employed to look after Bynes substation in Papierbas Avenue, Cullinan were held hostage.
The guards were ambushed by an armed group that had entered the substation in the east of Pretoria at 22:00.
Two cellphones and bulletproof vests were taken.
In September, several Pretoria east suburbs fell victim to vandalism and theft.
Twenty perpetrators allegedly stormed the Heatherley substation to obtain valuable cables, causing an inferno, while the second reported attack in the east of Pretoria in July left a 29-year-old dead.
According to the metro, the Tshwane security guard was injured when cable thieves and his colleagues exchanged gunfire.
The guard was stationed at the Njala substation, where cables were later stolen.
FIRES PLAGUE PLASTIC AND CEMETERY VIEW
Another fire saw residents of Plastic View and Cemetery View rebuilding their shacks this year, as they awaited a social housing development scheme.
The blaze gutted over 40 homes, leaving 250 people destitute in Plastic View informal settlement on November 4.
The fire apparently broke out arund 04:00 on November 4, leaving dozens at the informal settlement near De Villebois Mareuil Drive in Pretoriuspark scrambling to save their belongings.
Cemetery View became victim to a devastating fire that razed homes at the vast settlement and claimed three lives, while thousands were left destitute.
On September 23, a man, woman and a girl believed to be younger than seven years old died tragically when Cemetery View settlement was engulfed in fire that consumed the plastic and iron-built homes.
Tshwane is still busy with bulk infrastructure work and has said that as soon as it has completed its part, 853 structures will be built to accommodate the families of the17-year-old Plastic View and 10-year-old Cemetery View settlements.
NEW ROAD CONSTRUCTED
Ratepayers were able to reap a few benefits of the Balwin Properties bulk infrastructure agreement with Tshwane after a new R94-million road in the east of Pretoria was handed over to the metro.
Hazeldean Boulevard links Mamelodi and Silver Lakes and is expected to take significant pressure off Silverlakes Road.
The handover of the newly-completed dual carriageway took place on October 6 as part of a special infrastructure project work with the government.
It is part of the 62 strategic integrated projects (SIPs) gazetted in July 2022, through which the government would instal bulk infrastructure and Balwin build apartment and lifestyle centres, and upgrade roads and other public amenities.
MOOIKLOOF RATEPAYERS THREATEN LEGAL ACTION
Mooikloof ratepayers demanded to be rerouted to another substation because of constant failures of their supply line, Mooikloof substation.
However, Tshwane nixed the idea, claiming it to be technically impossible.
The angry ratepayers had grown tired of the poor-performing Mooikloof substation which supplied wards 47 and 91 in Elarduspark, Moreleta Park, Wingate Park, Mooikloof, Pretorius Park, Olympus, Woodlands and Garsfontein.
Tshwane however said it had a plan to reinstate Mooikloof substation to its originally design capacity.
Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the metro also aimed to move some of the load from the Mooikloof substation to the Wingate substation, in the east of Pretoria.
This was to lighten the burden on the struggling Mooikloof that had ratepayers in parts of Pretoria east frustrated and threatening Tshwane with legal action for the marathon power outages in the area.
Ratepayers had grown tired of power not being restored after load-shedding and constant trips. A legal firm in Monument Park produced several notices in its bid to begin litigation against the metro.
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