A PICTURE of a socially stressed, dirty, poorly-serviced, rapidly-changing, youthful Southernwood community was presented at the first of Buffalo City Metro’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Budget roadshow public encounters.
Fifty IDP meetings in 50 wards will be held until April 26 with city officials on the platform to interface with residents.
The opener saw a disappointing turnout of about 50 residents of the DA-led Ward 3 dotting the hall, looking onto an array of 17 city officials, but intense exchanges, after hours on a Thursday night, revealed a democracy at work.
While two ANC Southernwood branch members, who refused to give their names, used the floor to criticise BCM for failing to clean the streets, and provide a community hall for the influx of unemployed youths and students who made up 73% of that community, there were also complaints from an unemployed middle-aged woman about inefficiencies in the indigent policy payouts.
City officials were called to the podium to respond to questions about the Gonubie interchange traffic snags, why the refuse collection system was failing, buses meant for the Bus Rapid Transport system went unused – and why Jennet Heath of Milner Estate had to live next to an illegal tip, which went up in flames leaving her walls a filthy black.
Dave Barry, manager in the roads section, said the four-way stop at the Gonubie roadworks would soon become a robot which will be timed to cater for peak traffic flow.
The supervisor of refuse removal in Southernwood said residents were not abiding by collection times or using the designated collection spots.
Most of the answers fell to the city’s chief financial officer Vincent Reddy, who said there was no money for a community hall in Southernwood, but that the project was in the IDP, meaning it would happen in years to come. The city was also faced with a land shortage, with the key Sleeper site property still in the hands of Transnet.
He said the BRT buses were mired in litigation brought by a tender competitor, while the buses were not up to specifications.
Reddy said nine more refuse removal trucks had been purchased for Mdantsane, impacting positively on Southernwood. BCM was urgently trying to build another waste cell at Roundhill, Berlin, and was “looking at other sites in the city”.
DA councillor Sandla Manciya told the city managers: “Officials have let this happen! These are ratepayers. They pay our salaries, we should provide the services.”
BCM city manager Keith Ngesi said similar roadshow meetings in Cambridge and Amalinda on Thursday night had been packed .
The roadshows today are in ward 24 at Mabaleni hall (at 10am), ward 26 at Ntsonkotha hall (2pm), ward 38 at Bulembu hall (3pm) and ward 11 at Nzaliseko School at 5pm. –
BCM comes under fire at meeting
Fifty IDP meetings in 50 wards will be held until April 26 with city officials on the platform to interface with residents.
The opener saw a disappointing turnout of about 50 residents of the DA-led Ward 3 dotting the hall, looking onto an array of 17 city officials, but intense exchanges, after hours on a Thursday night, revealed a democracy at work.
While two ANC Southernwood branch members, who refused to give their names, used the floor to criticise BCM for failing to clean the streets, and provide a community hall for the influx of unemployed youths and students who made up 73% of that community, there were also complaints from an unemployed middle-aged woman about inefficiencies in the indigent policy payouts.
City officials were called to the podium to respond to questions about the Gonubie interchange traffic snags, why the refuse collection system was failing, buses meant for the Bus Rapid Transport system went unused – and why Jennet Heath of Milner Estate had to live next to an illegal tip, which went up in flames leaving her walls a filthy black.
Dave Barry, manager in the roads section, said the four-way stop at the Gonubie roadworks would soon become a robot which will be timed to cater for peak traffic flow.
The supervisor of refuse removal in Southernwood said residents were not abiding by collection times or using the designated collection spots.
Most of the answers fell to the city’s chief financial officer Vincent Reddy, who said there was no money for a community hall in Southernwood, but that the project was in the IDP, meaning it would happen in years to come. The city was also faced with a land shortage, with the key Sleeper site property still in the hands of Transnet.
He said the BRT buses were mired in litigation brought by a tender competitor, while the buses were not up to specifications.
Reddy said nine more refuse removal trucks had been purchased for Mdantsane, impacting positively on Southernwood. BCM was urgently trying to build another waste cell at Roundhill, Berlin, and was “looking at other sites in the city”.
DA councillor Sandla Manciya told the city managers: “Officials have let this happen! These are ratepayers. They pay our salaries, we should provide the services.”
BCM city manager Keith Ngesi said similar roadshow meetings in Cambridge and Amalinda on Thursday night had been packed .
The roadshows today are in ward 24 at Mabaleni hall (at 10am), ward 26 at Ntsonkotha hall (2pm), ward 38 at Bulembu hall (3pm) and ward 11 at Nzaliseko School at 5pm. –
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