On 2 September DA Councillor Carl Mann held a stakeholders’ meeting with all the municipal roleplayers, hoping to address the problems surrounding Hoogenhout Street.
Mann invited City Parks, JRA, City Power, Joburg Water, JMPD, Department of Housing, Department of Environmental Health and Pikitup to discuss potholes, water problems, the use of the piece of veld bordering Hoogenhout Street as a thorough fare, electricity theft, illegal dumping and other problems.
Joburg Water, JMPD, Department of Environmental Health and Pikitup did not show up for the meeting.
According to Mann, City Parks responded positively. He also asked the Department of Housing to find out who the owner of the land is on which Princess informal settlement had developed. Mann said he needs this information in order to make arrangements to try and fence off the area.
JRA has committed to fixing the potholes but according to Mann the City Power representative shrugged and said there is nothing City Power can do about the problem (illegal electricity connections).
“On the one hand some positives came out of this meeting and it is good to see that some City departments still care about residents’ needs but on the other hand I am disappointed that so many of the stakeholders just didn’t pitch,” says Mann.
