Residents slam city’s ‘glossy’ progress reports amid real hardships

Following the commemorations of the metro’s current administration’s first year in office, opposition parties and residents claim that what’s presented on social media and the reality on the ground are worlds apart.

The ANC, EFF, ActionSA, GOOD, and smaller coalition parties recently marked their first anniversary in office earlier this month after taking control of the metro from the DA-led administration in October 2024.

The coalition celebrated what it called a year of rebuilding and financial stabilisation, though opposing leaders and stakeholders paint a grimmer picture.

Ward 54 councillor Elma Nel had stated that former mayor Cilliers Brink is needed back in office to protect the properties of rate-paying residents in her ward who suffer a myriad of issues.

“It’s easy to paint a colourful picture with imaginary gloss. At the end of the day, the facts are so misrepresented, for example, ‘five outstanding potholes’. Reality is an average of at least five outstanding potholes per street block?

“The overtime restrictions don’t benefit residents who suffer under the new 96-hour response time on electricity repairs, not to mention the outrageously long list of outstanding streetlight complaints, while only the G20 routes are being maintained,” said Nel.

According to Nel, there were two brutal murders because of a lack of working streetlights. She added that property damage is being done daily.

“Residents are spending a fortune in attempts to safeguard their properties with solar lights only to find them stolen the next morning.

“As homeowners in Pretoria, we desperately need Cilliers Brink back as our mayor to protect our property investments,” she said.

Chairperson of the Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville and Saulsville Civic Association (Lasca) Tshepho Mahlangu, who has engaged in several meetings with city officials since their takeover, said little has been done to address the gripes they have had with the previous administration.

“The mayor, during a Mayoral Imbizo in Atteridgeville, promised to meet leaders of the community to resolve issues raised. To date, we have never seen her except on TikTok.

“She avoids accountability for real issues raised by the residents of Tshwane. Their reflection doesn’t reflect the residents’ reality, but coalition reality, thus creating loopholes,” Mahlangu said.

“We advise the mayor to spend her time on addressing real issues and delegate street duties to ROC and other interdepartmental formations.

“Residents can see the difference between providing services by the municipality through rates and taxes, and campaigning by politicians using our fully funded budget. Their approach constitutes crime and theft,” Mahlangu said.

The issues that the civic association has raised, among others, include the cancellation of the court-ordered freezes on municipal accounts, which prevent changes to an account until the legal processes surrounding disputes over property valuations have finished – the ‘Dunning Lock Policy’.

Lacsa has also raised the R2.7-billion spent on projects without following proper procurement processes, and the R14.4-billion in unauthorised and irregular expenditure as major issues.

They also question why, if R1.4-billion has been earmarked to stabilise the electricity grid, residents still experience many power outages.

“We had a R1.9-billion surplus in the 1st Quarter vs. 38.7% unemployment, especially among youth. Vacancy rate is sitting at 41% at the Tshwane Metro Municipality.

“With the Auditor-General’s (AG) report, management is incompetent, and there is no consequence management,” he said.

“The invoices were not recorded, and there is non-compliance and a lack of accountability. Another issue is the consulting firms and revenue consultants, as well as wasteful and fruitless expenditure.

“R5.8-million is spent on consultants while ‘meter readers’ employed by the consulting firms are continually being exploited, earning R2.50 per household allocated for meter reading,” Mahlangu said.

According to Lasca, unemployed youth should be employed as permanent meter readers to resolve the billing crisis.

Other Lasca demands include scrapping estimated bills, a halt to the use of consulting firms and revenue consultants, and closing the vacancy rate in the city.

They insist that the metro disclose the outcomes of investigations conducted against reported corruption in the capital city, and that TMPD stop the alleged practice of acting as escorts to private companies.

They further demand that blocked prepaid meter cards be unblocked, and prepaid meters be installed.

Another demand is that informal settlements be formalised, and the spread of informal settlements be curbed.

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