Ga-Rankuwa township in Tshwane was brought to a standstill on Monday as residents took to the streets to demand better service delivery from the municipality.

The protesters, led by community leaders, marched to the municipal offices in Zone 5, where they submitted a memorandum of demands to Aaron Maluleka, the City of Tshwane’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing and Human Settlements.

The protesters cited several pressing concerns, including inaccurate billing, untarred roads, sewage blockages, title deeds, unemployment and lack of streetlights. 

Tshepo Matlaela, a community leader, said the march was prompted by the township’s lack of service delivery despite ongoing engagement with the municipality since 2016.

“We engaged with different administrations in the past and we have been promised changes, but unfortunately, those promises never materialised,” he said.

He highlighted the widespread sewer spillages in Ga-Rankuwa, which have severely affected two local schools. 

Residents are demanding a comprehensive plan from the city, with specific timeframes for implementation, to address these service delivery issues.

Pastor Kgomotso Modiselle of Christ the Hope of Glory Prophetic Ministries echoed the community’s concerns, citing inaccurate municipal billing and high crime rates. 

“We are facing serious issues with billing estimations on our municipal accounts,” he said. 

Additionally, he said, the community is plagued by high crime rates, including numerous murder cases. 

He cited the recent tragic killing of Dr. Gomolemo Mokae in his home, saying it has further exacerbated concerns about safety.

Maluleka assured the protesters that the city would respond to their grievances within the seven-day ultimatum given by the residents.

He announced that the city will call an urgent meeting with Mayor Nasiphi Moya on Friday to engage with community leaders and provide a comprehensive response to all the demands.

The city will conduct an assessment to determine the full impact of the sewer problem on the community, with the aim of identifying the root causes and extent of the issue. 

Maluleka also acknowledged the economic struggles faced by many Tshwane residents and assured that the city will address billing issues to provide relief.

“We can’t stress them further by giving them bills that are unexplained and exorbitant,” he said. 

The city’s focus will be on addressing issues related to sewer, stormwater draining, and roads, with a capital investment planned for Ga-Rankuwa in the current financial year.

Residents expressed frustration that they have been submitting memoranda of demands to the city since 2020 without seeing meaningful progress. 

Maluleka declined to speculate on the past administration’s shortcomings, stressing that the current administration is willing to address the issues.

“What is at the heart of the memorandum is building the infrastructure and the city is going to attend to these issues because there is a capital investment that we are going to put in Ga-Rankuwa in this current financial year,” he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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