KNOW YOUR COUNCILLOR
REPORTER Mkhululi Ndamase speaks to ANC Ward 54 councillor Aaron Nyikilana about his work in Motherwell.
Q: Why did you get into politics?
A: I grew up during the apartheid regime and I saw how our parents were struggling. After realising how white people were treating black people, I decided to join politics and work towards changing our people’s lives for the better.
Q. Explain a typical working day?
A. The office opens at 8.30am and I am at the office until there are no more people to deliver a service to.
There is no specific time I go home.
Q. What are the biggest challenges in your ward?
A. Illegal dumping is by far the biggest challenge. We also had a housing problem but we are trying to solve that now. A list of old and disabled people who have never had houses was submitted to the municipality. Another challenge is the backyard dwellers who do not want to be registered on the municipal database. What people do not understand is that if they do not register, they will not be able to get houses.
Q. What are some of the latest de-
velopments in the ward?
A. 850 RDP houses are ready in NU29. Also in NU12B, 180 people have already moved into their new RDP houses.
Q. Any special projects?
A. There will be 13 houses, shops and taverns that the owners have already extended that I managed to assist with. In NU12B we are busy tarring streets.
Q. What are the future plans you have for the ward?
A. If the 1 262 houses that are planned could be built by December, that would be great.
Q. How often do you have meetings with your constituency and are they well attended?
A. It is not necessary to have a meeting every month because the report ends up being the same. But when we do, people come out in numbers. I hold meetings where more than 500 people attend.
Q. What do you think of the current state of the metro?
A. No comment.
Q. What is your education background?
A. I went as far as Grade 11 in Grahamstown.