Democratic Alliance (DA) eThekwini mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen has pledged to prioritise improved service delivery, infrastructure maintenance and greater municipal accountability if elected, during a community engagement hosted in Shallcross.
The meeting, organised by Ward 71 Councillor Fatima Ismail, gave residents an opportunity to raise concerns about service delivery and ask questions about issues affecting their community.
Welcoming residents, Ismail introduced Hoosen, who thanked those in attendance before outlining his vision for restoring public confidence in the municipality.
‘Residents deserve dignity and respect’
Reflecting on the state of local government, Hoosen said residents deserved to be treated with dignity and respect when accessing municipal services.
“Twenty years ago, residents were treated with respect and dignity when they visited municipal offices. Today, many people feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to serve them,” he said.
Tariffs, ageing infrastructure and water-shedding
Hoosen raised concerns about what he described as declining service delivery, rising municipal costs and poor financial management. He highlighted escalating water and electricity tariffs, annual increases in rates and service charges, ageing infrastructure, burst pipes, ongoing water-shedding and thousands of unresolved water leaks.
Parks, public spaces and spending priorities
He also expressed concern over the condition of parks and public spaces, saying children were being left with fewer safe recreational areas. Hoosen said municipalities should focus on delivering essential services before investing in non-essential projects, adding that taxpayers deserved value for money.
He further said experienced municipal employees had left the institution over the years and stressed the importance of employing qualified professionals to ensure efficient service delivery.
Residents question development and green belts
Residents used the question-and-answer session to voice concerns about the lack of development in Chiltern Heights, the future of green belt areas, housing projects and the pace of development in established communities.
Responding, Hoosen said the challenges facing communities were issues of governance rather than race.
“If we want to rebuild our country and our communities, we must focus on the real issues. We need a government that works for every resident, delivers services efficiently and spends public money responsibly,” he said.
Priorities outlined for eThekwini
Among the priorities he outlined were accelerating housing delivery, improving municipal infrastructure, repairing burst pipes and water leaks, reducing water-shedding, improving the reliability of electricity supply and introducing fairer municipal billing measures for senior citizens.
Prepaid water meters and a promised meeting
Hoosen also addressed concerns about prepaid water meters in Human Settlements developments, saying access to water was a basic necessity and residents should not face undue hardship. He announced that he would meet urgently with Councillor Ismail and officials from the Human Settlements Department to discuss the housing and water-related concerns affecting Shallcross residents.
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