Members of the mayoral committee during an oversight visit. Photo: Supplied
The Tshwane metro has promised to prioritise infrastructure upgrades in Ga-Rankuwa after thousands of frustrated residents marched to the municipal offices in Zone 5, demanding urgent solutions to long-standing service delivery failures.
MMC for Housing and Human Settlements, and political head for Region 1, Aaron Maluleka, received a memorandum of grievances that highlighted multiple concerns.
The concerns range from non-functioning streetlights and sewage blockages to untarred roads, asbestos roofing, outstanding title deeds, and the closure of the Ga-Rankuwa Fire Station.
Residents also called for the completion of the local taxi rank, proper maintenance of landfill sites, and the formalisation of informal settlements.
Addressing community leaders after the handover of the memorandum, Maluleka acknowledged the severity of the challenges and assured residents that his office had already tasked maintenance teams with tackling the most urgent issues.
“We are going to attend to the issues in this financial year with a focus on roads, storm water, and sewer.
“Our executive [mayor] has identified six key commitments for this term of office, and rebuilding the municipality’s finances and infrastructure is at the heart of our programme,” said Maluleka.
He revealed that some of the challenges were being worsened by the intentional misuse of infrastructure.
Maintenance teams discovered that certain manholes had been deliberately blocked by objects dumped inside them, with some salon owners disposing of waste, mainly hair, directly into sewer drainpipes.
Livestock herders were reportedly forcing water to the surface by throwing foreign objects into manholes for their animals to drink.
He said several streetlights were found to have been vandalised, with electrical wiring stripped by criminals.
Maluleka strongly cautioned residents against damaging infrastructure, warning that such actions not only delay service delivery but also put communities at greater risk.
“Vandalising infrastructure and building illegal structures on wetlands endangers lives. We need residents to work with us, not against us, in rebuilding Ga-Rankuwa.”
Workers on a cherry picker repair electrical infrastructure on a utility pole in Ga-Rankuwa. Photo: Supplied
Maluleka said the metro would establish closer monitoring of projects in Region 1 to ensure that the memorandum’s issues are addressed within the financial year.
He added that the municipality was reviewing long-term strategies to replace asbestos roofing, finalise outstanding title deeds, and formalise informal settlements.
“This administration is committed to restoring dignity to communities like Ga-Rankuwa. But this requires partnership between residents and government to protect and maintain the infrastructure we deliver.”
One of the organisers and community leader Tshepo Matlaela said the purpose of the shutdown was to bring to the attention of the metro and government, the most pressing issues that the community has been grappling with for reportedly almost 10 years.
“We told the mayor that discussions in boardrooms and roundtables will not solve our issue, because the real issues are on the ground.
“We have about 53 list of dumping sites in this area, and we told the MMC for Environmental Affairs that we need this place to be cleaned,” said Matlaela.
He expressed frustration over estimated bills, claiming the metro does not have a proper system to calculate bills.
“We don’t remember seeing people taking any meter readings or anything like that in Ga-Rankuwa since 2016,” he said
He stated that most households owe bills ranging from R100 000 up to R300 000 each.
“Ga-Rankuwa is a very poor township; most of the people are unemployed. How are we going to pay those taxes?” he asked.
Matlaele added that despite several meetings and communication with the metro, there has been no transparency or meaningful implementation.
He said a communication channel was created with the metro to address the issue of bills, but it was only used once.
Flooded streets with pools of murky sewage water near homes in Ga-Rankuwa. Photo: Supplied
Residents also shared their frustration over the neglect of the community by the metro.
Sthembiso Nyathi said, “We are being treated like we don’t belong, as if we don’t have rights to services like everyone else in the country.”
He shared that it hurt to feel neglected by the municipality and urged action by the metro.
“Our municipality treats us really badly; we have been neglected for years, but are forced to pay bills,” he said.
Another resident, Francinah Monyai, expressed pessimism over service delivery.
Residents of Ga-Rankuwa unite in a peaceful protest. Photo: Supplied
“We are marching with that little hope that all will be well, but honestly speaking, our municipality does not care about us and it never will,” she said.
Matlaele said another pressing issue was continuous sewage spillage plaguing the community.
“The whole of Ga-Rankuwa stinks as we speak; sewer systems and water drainage systems do not exist here,” said Matlaele.
He highlighted that it becomes a big issue when it rains, as properties get flooded by the sewage.
