Tyrell Meyers outlines service delivery priorities for Ward 23
The DA candidate highlights water and road repairs, streetlights, community safety and support for recyclers, while calling for improved municipal finances and infrastructure investment.
1. What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?
The three biggest challenges facing my ward are basic service delivery, including the provision of general services, streetlights, water repairs and pothole repairs. Other challenges include the Mulbarton taxi rank, as well as the closing off of Liefde en Vrede.
I believe that, should the DA be successful in taking control of Joburg, we would be able to address these challenges much faster because the current ANC/PA/EFF/Al Jama-ah coalition is hostile towards DA councillors and wards.
2. How will you improve basic service delivery such as water, electricity, refuse removal and road maintenance?
Under a DA government, the DA will stabilise the city’s finances, ensure outstanding debtors pay their debts, and implement a rescue strategy for entities such as City Power, which runs at a deficit; Joburg Water, which lacks capacity; and Pikitup, which owes service providers billions.
Stabilising the finances and ensuring that services get back on track will begin to improve basic service delivery.
3. What specific plans do you have to improve community safety and reduce crime in the ward?
This is an ongoing effort. We work well with the CPF, security companies and patrollers, who do a lot of the work to ensure that our communities are kept safe and that we remain proactive in preventing crime and criminal acts before they happen.
4. How will you ensure that residents are kept informed and involved in decisions affecting the community?
We use our community WhatsApp groups to share information and alert residents and businesses to important information, dates and opportunities to participate in community-based planning sessions and the annual IDP sessions. We have been doing this since 2021.
5. What will you do to support local businesses, informal traders and job creation in the ward?
The city has starved this ward of projects and opportunities. However, the private sector has invested money in a new shopping centre, so we need to ensure that, while development is important and needed, the infrastructure needs are also met and upgraded in line with protecting the environment and our green belt. There are opportunities in that alone.
6. How will you improve conditions in informal settlements and underserved areas within the ward?
We don’t have informal settlements in the ward. However, we have recyclers who need the city to assist them with a facility of their own to process recyclable material and where they can work with safety and dignity. This is something that has been lacking from the city.
7. What is your plan to address infrastructure problems such as potholes, sewage spills, streetlights and illegal dumping?
We need to continue pressing the city to invest in infrastructure, such as new roads, new sewer pipes and solar lights, and to create an environment of opportunities in waste management that will leave our areas clean.
8. How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?
The framing of the question is inaccurate. Council is centralised, with money going to the City of Johannesburg and being allocated to entities and projects as listed in the IDP.
Residents need to attend these sessions to raise the projects they would like to see implemented, and once these are approved by council, we can ensure their delivery.
9. What programmes or initiatives would you introduce for young people, women and vulnerable residents in the community?
The city is sadly lacking in this area. It does not have enough programmes, and we believe this will change under a DA government.
10. If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?
I’m always available to my residents. I provide regular feedback to them and will continue to do so.
Caxton Local Media invited Johannesburg mayoral candidates, as confirmed at the time of publication, to participate in a question-and-answer interview, giving voters a chance to learn more about their plans, priorities and hopes for the city ahead of the Local Government Elections on November 4.
The views expressed in these questionnaires are those of the respective candidates and do not represent the views of Caxton Local Media or any of its publications.
