Ward 124 candidate Mongameli Mnyameni outlines plans for service delivery

1. What are the three biggest challenges currently facing your ward, and how will you address them?

(a) Unemployment

(b) Crime

(c) Illegal dumping and Illegal tuckshops

2. How will you improve basic service delivery such as water, electricity, refuse removal and road maintenance?

“I’ll make sure that all residents of Ward 124, including businesses and schools, have access to clean water 24/7, even when the municipality experiences a water outage. I’ll make sure that Joburg Water provides water tankers 24/7 to all affected residents, businesses and schools so that their daily lives can continue without interruption.

“On electricity, I’ll hold City Power accountable by ensuring that it responds within the stipulated turnaround time after any fault is logged. I’ll make sure that the City conducts audits or operations to identify illegal electricity connections and ensure that City Power protects its infrastructure and maintains it regularly.

“In terms of roads, I’ll advocate for regular maintenance and the fixing of potholes, as well as empowering community members through training to fix potholes. I’ll encourage cooperation with organisations working alongside the JRA to enhance and improve the standard of our roads. I’ll encourage every resident to take a picture of any potholes they see and report them to me or the JRA.

“On refuse removal, firstly, I’ll encourage every resident to sort their waste before collection, using two or three different refuse bins to be provided by Pikitup. This will create opportunities for those involved in the recycling business. I’ll make sure that Pikitup conducts an audit of every household to establish how many families are living in each yard.

“If more than two families are living in one yard, Pikitup must provide more than two refuse bins to help prevent illegal dumping on street corners. I’ll make sure that refuse is collected weekly without fail.”

3. What specific plans do you have to improve community safety and reduce crime in the ward?

“Reducing crime within the community is essential so that every community member can feel safe. The first step is to build a healthy relationship between the community and the police. I’ll encourage community members to participate in the CPF so they can be part of the fight against crime within the ward.

“I’ll introduce the Know Your Neighbour initiative to encourage community members to look out for one another. I’ll introduce street blocks and establish patrolling teams to operate 24/7 within the community. I’ll make sure that the JMPD and SAPS are more visible in the community, both day and night.

“I’ll encourage local private security companies to give back to the community by deploying their personnel to help provide security within the community. I’ll also establish partnerships with businesses across the ward so they can play a role by assisting with various interventions to fight crime.

“I’ll create an app that community members can use at the touch of a button to report crime incidents immediately to law enforcement agencies, including local private security companies.”

4. How will you ensure that residents are kept informed and involved in decisions affecting the community?

“Firstly, residents will be encouraged to participate in IDP programmes where they can have a say in what should be prioritised and implemented in their ward. I’ll create a WhatsApp group with the responsible officials from all the city’s entities. This group will be dedicated solely to service delivery, allowing officials to respond to and attend to issues raised by the community.

“I’ll convene public meetings every month to report back to residents. This will also serve as a platform where I can account to the community every month”

5. What will you do to support local businesses, informal traders and job creation in the ward?

“I’ll make sure that local businesses receive good service from the municipality, including reliable electricity and water supplies, and that they are billed correctly. I’ll assist informal traders in getting formally registered and securing spaces where they can operate without being harassed, while ensuring that they comply with the municipality’s laws and regulations.

“I’ll assist my constituency in creating work opportunities for residents. As I have done in the past, I’ll continue to build healthy relationships with businesses in Ward 124, such as Shoprite, You Save, Boxer and Hungry Lion, just to mention a few. I was able to engage with these businesses, and they have permanently employed residents because of the relationships I established. I’ll continue doing so to help reduce unemployment and ensure that residents benefit from any new developments in the ward.”

6. How will you improve conditions in informal settlements and underserved areas within the ward?

“In all informal settlements, there must be reblocking. The Department of Human Settlements must conduct a proper audit to establish how many people are living there. This will help ensure that residents are allocated adequate ablution facilities and have access to clean water through communal taps installed in their areas.

“Pikitup must provide skip bins and collect them whenever they are full. Mobile clinics must also be sent to these communities. I’ll assist residents in establishing cooperatives so that they can become independent and stand on their own.”

7. How will you improve infrastructure and service delivery within the ward?

“The first thing I’ll do is create a platform where the Department of Transport can partner with the community. Community members will be trained to repair and fill potholes. This will improve the efficiency of pothole repairs and ensure a quicker response to reported problems.

“There must be an upgrade of our infrastructure. Old, small pipes must be replaced with new, bigger pipes to address sewer spills. Community members must also be trained to unblock drains.

“Faulty streetlights contribute to rising crime within the community. I’ll therefore hold meetings every three months with City Power and the team responsible for streetlights to discuss outstanding issues and repairs. I’ll also report back to the community during public meetings on how many streetlights have been repaired.

“One of the contributing factors to illegal dumping is the excessive number of illegal backyard rooms. The first step is to address this issue. I’ll arrange operations with all relevant City entities to identify illegal structures and other non-compliant activities and either have them removed or assist property owners in complying with the relevant regulations. Where properties have multiple backyard rooms but only one refuse bin, I’ll request Pikitup to provide additional bins to help prevent illegal dumping. I’ll also promote a culture in which community members take pride in their neighbourhoods. I’ll introduce a competition in which the cleanest street will receive an award.”

8. How will you ensure municipal funds allocated to the ward are spent transparently and effectively?

“All municipal funds must be spent correctly, and I’ll make sure that I conduct unannounced oversight visits to development projects in the ward. I’ll also ask questions of the relevant members of the Mayoral Committee about the budgets allocated to my ward to ensure that funds are spent correctly and that projects deliver the intended results.”

9. What programmes or initiatives would you introduce for young people, women and vulnerable residents in the community?

“I’ll engage the private sector and local businesses to adopt at least 15 girls per year in the ward through programmes that support and empower them. I’ll also look for programmes that will uplift women and young people in particular through various departments at municipal, provincial and national government levels.

“I’ll approach organisations such as the National Lotteries Commission and banks to seek their intervention and support in addressing social ills within the community.”

10. If elected, how will residents be able to hold you accountable and measure your progress over the next five years?

“I’ll prioritise all residents of Ward 124 and work towards ensuring that they benefit from initiatives and services that improve their lives. After 100 days in office, I’ll report back to the community on what we have achieved, the progress made and the outstanding issues that still need to be addressed.

“I’ll hold public meetings every month to account to the community of Ward 124. I’ll also deliver a State of the Ward Address so that residents can be informed about developments, plans and everything that is happening or is about to happen in the ward.”

Caxton Local Media invited Johannesburg ward councillor 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.

The answers are intended solely to provide voters with information about the candidates contesting the election and to help them make informed choices at the polls.