A letter from Ward 126 Councillor Mike Tonkin to his residents.
It is truly amazing how time flies. With 2013 almost at an end, there is still so much more to be done in the execution of one’s duties.
I have been a ward councillor for 12 years and witnessed the vagaries of municipal levels of service delivery. Lately, it is my considered opinion that these levels have deteriorated both on a maintenance level as well as on a capital expenditure level, when considering Ward 126.
Ward 126 was chosen by the Mayoral Committee as one of only 35 wards in Johannesburg as a ward that was to receive special attention, yet service delivery still remains a problem.
In the endeavour of maintaining and encouraging public participation, I have attended resident association meetings, public meetings, intersection meetings, as well as forum meetings. I have also attended “community endeavour” meetings like park clean-ups and Klein Jukskei greenbelt clean-ups, as well as Sector 2 Police fun runs. These have all been enthusiastically supported by me and my ward committee members.
This is in addition to the more mundane efforts of extracting reasonable levels of service from the local government.
My grateful thanks, for a task well done, goes to those members of my ward committee (all 10 of you), as well as those officials in the municipality, that have endeavoured to assist, where possible, in delivering services to the community of Ward 126.
To those residents who are going away for the holidays, travel safely, and enjoy yourselves in a different setting. To those remaining, the same wishes extend to you, blessed by good weather we personally enjoy locally!
To those who have participated in local ward matters, and have been assisting with the community endeavours, whether on a local level or otherwise, a big thank you and compliments of the season to you and your families.
If I may, I also take this opportunity to encourage you to ensure that you are registered to vote in next year’s impending election which should take place in April/May of 2014.
Kind regards and best wishes for the year ahead,
Mike Tonkin
