Mayor tours Kya Sands as part of Ntirhisano

03 June 2016

 

Johannesburg Executive Mayor Councillor Parks Tau wants to partner with Kya Sands businesses and communities in the neighbouring informal settlement to find innovative solutions to service delivery challenges facing the area.  Mayor Tau was speaking after a day-long tour of the area, in the City of Johannesburg’s Region A, as part of the Ntirhisano-Moogo Programme on Wednesday June 1.

 

He was accompanied on the tour by several Members of the Mayoral Committee, including Councillors Chris Vondo (Community Development), Roslyn Greeff (Development Planning and Urban Management), Matshidiso Mfikoe (Environment and Infrastructure Services), Ruby Mathang (Economic Development), Mally Mokoena (Corporate Services) and Sello Lemao (Public Safety).

 

The tour included a celebration of the United Nations’ International Children’s Day at the Little Ones Crèche in Bloubosrand, a visit to the Kya Sand informal settlement, a meeting with the Kya Sands Business Forum and a fire-fighting demonstration at the Msawana informal settlement.   Illegal electricity and water connections, cable theft, illegal dumping, unemployment and crime topped the list of challenges facing the area.

 

Briefing the high-level team, Region A Director Abigail Ndlovu said the concrete casing of electric cables was helping to reduce cable theft but impacted on response times in emergency situations.  Speaking at the Kya Sands informal settlement, where illegal electricity connections have reached alarming proportions, Mayor Tau said regularising power supply would be the solution.  He said the City had resolved to electrify informal settlements while tackling the housing challenge.

 

He said because more than 70% of residents in the settlement were undocumented foreigners, the innovative solution to the housing shortage would be to provide rental stock.  He urged community leaders to be more proactive in protecting the environment and stopping illegal connections.  “We need strong and innovative leadership to deal with these challenges. This means partnerships,” he said.

 

At a meeting with members of the Kya Sands Business Forum, Mayor Tau and his team heard how constant power outages caused by illegal connections and cable theft impacted on businesses.  Mayor Tau said both short- and long-term solutions were needed.  He tasked Regional Director Ndlovu to work with the forum and communities on all issues raised and give feedback.

 

“I’m worried about waste management, for instance. It doesn’t help to try to stop illegal connections. We would rather regularise electricity supply. The City has already started rolling out the electrification of informal settlements to deal with this recurring problem of illegality,” the mayor said.