Outsourcing, lack of maintenance and failure to allocate budget for prioritised IDP projects in Alberton by the Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality have led to residents reaching a point of desperation.
In Ward 38, the bridges in Hennie Alberts Street and Delphinium Street respectively have been left to overgrow to such an extent that residents cannot safely cross it. I have sent numerous requests during 2015 to the metro for the cleaning of both these bridges, but to date nothing has been done.
What seems to fuel this lack of maintenance by the metro is their continuous use of outsourcing. The contractors do not clean the roads, curbs or bridges on a rotating basis but seem to operate on a once-off cleaning basis and then after a few months the next contract begins.
As a result neighbourhoods are left to deteriorate over long periods of no service delivery.
The WA 10 Upgrade of the Sewer System in Brackendowns and Brackenhurst in Ward 38, prioritised in the IDP between 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 financial years have also been left unbudgeted for to date. This is disappointing as there are amongst the residential houses and businesses, seven schools within the boundaries of Ward 38, where the health risk of continuous sewer spills get increasingly serious.
At Laerskool Orion there have been 13 complaints during the past 13 months alone and a petition requesting the immediate upgrade of the sewerage system have been signed by two schools so far. Other schools are now also partaking in the campaign.
In Ward 37, after many requests and a long wait, the Metro eventually appointed a contractor to replace dilapidated paving in Alberton North staring with an area on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Gerrit Marritz Street. Upon enquiring if there were any funds to repair further sections of pavement I was informed that those repairs cost R290 000 – almost the entire budget for 2015/2016.
This is totally ludicrous as this piece of pavement is not bigger than 270 square meters and cannot possibly have cost R290 000 to repair.
I contacted different companies who quotes between R180 – R250 per square metre to remove and dispose of old paving as well as supply and lay new interlocking brick paving. According to my calculations this could amount to a cost of a maximum of R81 000 for the paving of 270 square meters, even allowing for a cost of R 300.00 per square meters.
An urgent investigation by the Ekurhuleni Roads Department into how the cost of this paving was calculated is of the utmost importance. It is unacceptable that the Ekurhuleni Metro wastefully spends ratepayer’s money.
Media enquiries:
Bruna Haipel
Councillor: Ward 37
0824546956
Estelle Visser
Councillor: Ward 38, Alberton
0825721462
Please note: Quote Councillor Visser for Ward 38 issues and Councillor Haipel for issue in Ward 37.
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