Next week’s local government elections will see voters cast their ballots for the candidates they want to represent their wards and lead their municipalities and districts.

As part of the Roodepoort Record’s commitment to voter education, the publication invited candidates from all political parties to share their views via its social media platforms.

The Freedom Front Plus responded to the invitation, with its candidates highlighting the need for drastic improvements in service delivery.

The Record sent each candidate who responded a set of questions to answer. Here are some of their responses:

Adelle Beetge – Candidate for Ward 86

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Ward 86 faces homelessness, recurring sewer blockages, and frequent power outages, particularly in Bergbron. I will work with JMPD, social services and municipal departments to address these issues, prioritising proper sewer investigations and urgent action on electricity supply.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I cannot promise instant fixes, but I will ensure problems are not ignored. I will help residents report issues correctly, follow up on reference numbers, escalate unresolved matters and document recurring problems so patterns can be addressed.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will attend council and committee meetings, scrutinise projects and expenditure affecting Ward 86, and communicate progress and delays transparently to residents. Concerns will be raised through the proper municipal channels.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will provide regular feedback on progress and challenges, remain accessible, and work alongside residents to ensure accountability for the commitments I make.

Fanie Pretorius – Candidate for Ward 126

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Ward 126 struggles with failing infrastructure, rising crime and deteriorating public spaces. I will escalate maintenance schedules, strengthen partnerships with utilities and law enforcement, and prioritise preventive budgets over reactive fixes.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will push for resurfacing of major roads, demand 24-hour sewage spill responses, conduct night audits for streetlight repairs, and enforce fines against illegal dumping while promoting community beautification.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will publish details of ward budgets, involve residents in monitoring contractor performance, and escalate any irregularities to oversight bodies.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will publish annual service delivery reports, maintain open communication channels, and host yearly town halls where residents can directly review my performance.

• Franco de Lange – Candidate for Ward 89 and mayoral candidate

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Ward 89 faces potholes, electricity outages and non–functioning traffic lights. I will escalate these issues daily, demand accountability from officials, and ensure that Roodepoort’s rates and taxes are spent locally.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: Ring-fencing local taxes is essential to tackle Roodepoort’s massive maintenance backlog, ensuring funds are spent directly on repairing infrastructure in the community.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: Decentralisation is key: rates and taxes must be spent where residents live, with strict oversight to prevent redirection and misuse of funds.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will provide constant feedback on budgets, projects and maintenance through social media and direct engagement, ensuring residents remain informed and involved.

• Jaco van der Merwe – Candidate for Ward 84

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
The ward faces failing infrastructure, inconsistent service delivery and rising crime. I will establish a Ward 84 Issues Register to document and track problems, escalate them to the relevant departments, and hold regular community meetings to prioritise urgent interventions.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will create a priority list of infrastructure problems, escalate urgent cases such as sewage spills, monitor repairs to potholes and streetlights, and address illegal dumping through enforcement and community awareness.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will monitor projects for progress, delays and quality, raise concerns through municipal processes, and ensure residents can clearly see how funds are allocated and what benefits are delivered.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will keep records of reported issues and provide regular updates on their progress, hold feedback sessions where residents can question me directly, and ensure performance is measured by tangible improvements in the ward.

• Johannes Blom – Candidate for Ward 71

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Streetlights are vandalised, leading to crime; water pipes burst constantly in areas such as Oranje and Corlett Streets; and cable theft causes substation outages. I will escalate these issues with the relevant departments and push for urgent repairs and resurfacing.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: In Witpoortjie, potholes often result from burst water pipes. I will ensure job cards include resurfacing by JRA after repairs, while escalating sewage spills, streetlight faults and dumping to the relevant authorities.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will insist that budgets are presented per ward, ensuring that rates and taxes from Ward 71 are spent locally on electricity, water pipes and road maintenance.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: Residents will have direct access to me via WhatsApp groups, and if I fail to deliver, they can escalate complaints to regional management or petition for my removal.

• Luke Enslin – Candidate for Ward 85

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: The ward struggles with potholes, non–functional traffic lights and streetlights, and unreliable water supply. I will escalate these issues directly with the relevant municipal heads, involve authorised groups in repairs, and seek private sector support where necessary.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will report and escalate infrastructure problems directly to municipal heads, ensuring follow–up on complaints and involving authorised repair groups where necessary.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will push for ring-fenced funds through the Metro’s Financial Committee, ensuring money is spent on its intended services and highlighting this issue during community meetings.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will keep detailed monthly records of meetings, queries, escalations, patrols and visits to vulnerable residents, making these reports available to anyone who wishes to review them.

• Regardt Pelzer – Candidate for Ward 70

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: The ward faces decaying infrastructure, rising crime and poor service delivery. I will advocate for capital expenditure, work closely with the CPF and JMPD, and improve communication between residents and the municipality to shorten turnaround times.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will prioritise maintenance and development through allocated capital expenditure, escalate complaints effectively, and address concerns timeously to improve service delivery.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will fulfil my oversight role in council, ensuring officials are appointed on merit to promote efficiency and transparency in spending.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: Progress will be visible in the ward itself, and accountability must be exercised at the polls, where residents can raise their voices through action on election day.

• Zelmarie Cox – Candidate for Ward 97

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Ward 97 faces poor service delivery, deteriorating infrastructure and community safety concerns. I will maintain a clear record of recurring problems, escalate them through the correct municipal channels, and hold departments accountable until progress is made.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will track recurring infrastructure problems, escalate urgent cases, and monitor repairs. Illegal dumping will be tackled through enforcement, prevention and community awareness initiatives.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will monitor municipal projects for progress, delays and quality, make information accessible to residents, and raise concerns about irregularities through proper oversight structures.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will provide regular updates on issues raised, progress made and challenges unresolved, encourage residents to question me directly, and ensure accountability is measured by tangible improvements in the ward.

• Cor Boer – Candidate for Ward 83

Q: What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
A: Ward 83 faces persistent water leaks, deteriorating roads with numerous potholes, and illegal dumping in vacant plots, public areas and conservation sites. I will prioritise these issues by working closely with municipal managers, ensuring problems are reported through the correct channels and followed up until resolved.

Q: What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
A: I will insist on urgent repairs to broken streetlights, escalate recurring infrastructure problems, and document patterns so they are treated as systemic issues rather than isolated complaints. Illegal dumping will be addressed through enforcement and community cooperation.

Q: How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
A: I will push for a fair percentage of funds paid by Ward 83 residents to be reinvested locally, prioritising maintenance of existing infrastructure and upgrading ageing systems. Transparency will be ensured through active participation in the city’s budgeting process.

Q: If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
A: I will remain accessible, provide regular feedback through meetings and digital platforms, and ensure residents can hold me accountable at quarterly ward committee meetings where progress and challenges will be openly discussed.