The Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Mpho Phalatse, kicked off a service delivery blitz today in Region E, which encompasses Alexandra, Marlboro, Sandton, Orange Grove and surrounds as part of the re-launch of the A Re Sebetseng (Let’s Work) campaign.

Accompanied by Cllr Michael Sun, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Environment and Infrastructure Services, and Cllr Funzela Ngobeni, the MMC for Transport, Mayor Phalatse was also joined by ward councillors and the City officials to fix potholes along 1st Avenue outside Pan African Mall in Alexandra.

The blitz tackle service delivery backlogs such as illegal dumping; leaking pipes; fixing potholes; broken traffic lights; fixing streetlights on a block by block, region by region approach.

Mayor Phalatse said: “While A Re Sebetseng has previously been focused on communities working with the City to keep our parks and streets clean, we are today launching phase one of the campaign through region-by-region blitzes, which will see teams from City departments attending to their areas of focus.

“These teams will be seen across Johannesburg filling potholes, cutting grass, repairing broken traffic lights, fixing leaking pipes and cracking down on illegal dumping to name but a few operations.

“As we build a well-run, clean, and safe City over the next five years, the Multi-Party Government will be engaging in a number of partnerships with the private sector. The make-up of these partnerships will find their genesis at the Jozi Energy Indaba in March, followed by a Business Collaboration Conference in June, the details of which will be announced soon,” said Mayor Phalatse.

Next stop in Alexandra was 19th Avenue where a blocked stormwater drain was unblocked. MMC Ngobeni urged the residents not to use it to dump things like oil and debris, which contribute to the blockage.

MMC Ngobeni said: “I am happy to see councillors from different political parties taking part in this initiative. This participation is what embodies A Re Sebetseng where we come together and join hands in fixing our city.”

More street repairs were done along 15th Avenue where a group of excited residents joined the Joburg Road Agency (JRA) team to fix potholes outside their homes.

The last stop was at the intersection of Marlboro Drive and North Way, which had traffic lights on the blink. While repairs were done, JRA officials lamented the constant cables theft each time repairs are completed.

A Re Sebetseng – SeSotho for ‘let us work’ – encourages residents of Johannesburg to take ownership of their environment and contribute their time toward improving the cleanliness of their communities

Written by Nkosinathi Nkabinde
14/02/2022