Residents of Roshnee, near Johannesburg, have raised serious concerns over poor service delivery. They accuse the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) of failing to address their grievances, claiming refuse collection, road maintenance and infrastructure upgrades have been neglected for years.
Community activist Essop Sater has been vocal about the deteriorating state of affairs in Roshnee.
“The problem we are having in Roshnee is one of very poor service delivery, which goes back a couple of years now,” he stated. He highlighted critical issues such as uncollected refuse despite residents paying municipal fees, worsening road conditions riddled with potholes, and a lack of infrastructure upgrades, particularly concerning the local electricity substation.
“For many years, the substation in Roshnee has not been upgraded. The area itself has grown exponentially, but the infrastructure has not been upgraded, so we continuously have electrical issues,” Sater explained. He also lamented the absence of the ward councillor, who is supposed to represent their interests.
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Municipality Blames Revenue Shortfalls
Emfuleni Mayor Sipho Radebe has defended the municipality’s performance, attributing its inability to provide essential services to financial constraints.
“Right now, the municipality will be rolling out about 5000 electricity meters and water meters into various areas. We believe that by installing these, they could be in a position to enhance our revenue,” Radebe said. He acknowledged that a lack of revenue has hindered service delivery efforts, making it difficult to meet residents’ expectations.
However, critics argue that financial mismanagement is a key factor in the municipality’s failures. Strong criticism has been directed at the municipality for returning a R650 million grant to the national government without utilising it to improve residents’ lives.
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DA Marches Against Poor Service Delivery
On Friday morning, the Democratic Alliance (DA) took action against what they describe as poor service delivery in Emfuleni. Led by Gauteng DA leader Solly Msimanga, party members and residents marched from the Vanderbijlpark license offices to the Emfuleni Local Municipality offices, where they handed over a memorandum of grievances.
Msimanga called for an end to cadre deployment and nepotism within the municipality, demanding that politicians be barred from influencing employment and tenders. He also urged that the mayor and senior officials undergo a lifestyle audit. “Time is running out for you,” he warned, emphasising that the DA would escalate the matter to the provincial level if necessary.
In the absence of Mayor Radebe, the memorandum was received by Hassan Mako, a member of the mayor’s committee for finance. Mako assured the marchers that ELM would respond within 14 days.
A deep dive into Emfuleni Local Municipality, one of the country’s worst-performing municipalities with resident and community activist Essop Sater. #Emfuleni #Vaal #Community #Ramadan2025 #Ramadan2025SM https://t.co/qUTpPidhjr
— Salaamedia (@salaamedia) March 7, 2025
Emfuleni Mayor Sipho Radebe Speaks on Sewer Crisis and Unspent R640 Million in the embattled municipality. #Emfuleni #Municipality #Ramadan2025 #Ramadan2025SM https://t.co/dtBukQHfBK
— Salaamedia (@salaamedia) March 7, 2025
