Empangeni residents demand answers to service delivery issues

A year after a community meeting to address numerous issues and concerns, and Empangeni’s Ward 23 residents say nothing has changed.

Problems raised at the public meeting last year remain a challenge and frustrations are mounting.

Councillor Andre de Lange has called a Ward 23 public meeting on Thursday, 15 May from 6pm to 8pm at the Empangeni SME One Stop Shop at 44 Turnbull Street (the auditorium next to the museum), urging residents to voice their concerns to City of uMhlathuze officials.

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Thursday’s agenda items include electricity, potholes, streetlights, burst water pipes, stormwater drainage, sewerage, town cleaning, grass and tree cutting, law enforcement, traffic, waste management and road painting.

Empangeni resident Renzo Perini has been raising the stormwater drainage problem on Cassia Street for 10 years.

This as the drains are filled with litter and waste.

“We’ve been highlighting these problems for a decade and nothing is being done,” said Perini.

“The centre of Empangeni, Union Street, is becoming a urinal. People just stop and urinate and nothing is done about it. But where else can they go? It’s falling apart, but we need to keep trying,” he added.

“The municipality is not communicating with the public on certain projects, like the Commercial Road work outside the library,” said Rachel Harris at last year’s meeting.

“Managers need to have meetings on a regular basis and give feedback to the people,” said Graham Patterson.

Outstanding issues since May 2024 include:
* Lack of communication from the municipality
* Illegal shelters and vagrants remain unchecked
* By-laws not being enforced
* No disabled parking provided by the municipality
* Grass-cutting contractors leave clippings that block drains and cause mess

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