Residents hand over service delivery demands

RESIDENTS in Magareng, Warrenton, have raised their service delivery issues, which includes a lack of water in the area, with the ANC and the Department of Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta).

The residents of Ward 3 in the town, who handed over a list of demands to the provincial department and the ruling party, said yesterday that they had presented two memorandums to the mayor but that he had ignored their demands.

Among the issues raised was the non-availability of water, an issue that they say they have been struggling with for years.

“Every year in the IDP (Integrated Development Plan) we are promised that the problem will be solved but nothing happens. Our children have to cross the

N12 with wheelbarrows to fetch water. We therefore demand that the water crisis be solved immediately,” the residents stated in their list of demands.

They also questioned the status quo regarding roads in the ward.

According to the residents, there are also no street lights in the ward. “It is very dark and crime is rife.”

They added that they had also been promised street lights in the IDP but there had been no progress in this regard.

“The rubbish has not been collected for years. Rubbish is dumped near people’s homes, which is a health hazard and we therefore demand an immediate solution.”

The residents stated further that RDP houses were built but not occupied by their owners.

“This is where the crime is happening. The beneficiaries of the grey houses were promised that their houses would be plastered years ago but this has not happened. We demands that the municipality do something with the empty houses and that the grey houses be plastered.”

Unemployment is also an issue in the area. “The youth are trying to create jobs for themselves but land is an issue. Projects come and go but only certain people are hired. We need an audit on how many people have been hired in each and every project in Ward 3.”

The community members also questioned why there was only one high school being utilised. They pointed out that the hospital in the town had also been downgraded but they had not been given the reasons for this.

“The ambulance is stationed at Jan Kempdorp. We are demanding that one ambulance must be stationed at the hospital in Warrenton.”

The community has called for the Ward 3 councillor and the ward committee to resign with immediate effect. “They do not communicate with the community and do not attend to the ward’s issues. Meetings are also never held with the community.”

ANC provincial spokesperson Naledi Gaosekwe said that the party had not received any list of demands from Magereng.

Coghsta spokesperson Xhanti Teki did not respond to media enquiries.