Is it possible for the Ekurhuleni Metro to become more incompetent and therefore more inefficient?
Since the August local government elections, the answer is an emphatic yes.
Here’s what we know: some years ago the insurance company Outsurance embarked on repairing potholes – you reported them and they were fixed within a couple of days.
Private enterprise highlighted how pathetic the service was from the metros. This embarrassment couldn’t be tolerated, so the project was terminated – with extreme prejudice!
We get some welcome rain and we get more potholes. Potholes become road-destroying gaping holes.
Water leaks from aged pipes are a regular occurrence, yet we are constantly berated for not saving water!
Non-functioning traffic lights are a minor detail. Many of the metro police officers are too busy carbo-loading at popular eateries to concern themselves with frustrated motorists.
Plans are afoot for a massive housing development. Is there an overall, integrated plan to ensure the required infrastructure is built to handle the growth – simple things such as roads, electricity distribution and sewerage?
Apparently not. Functioning infrastructure must be installed before building all the houses the mayor has promised.
What about “city-keeping”. All the cities making up Ekurhuleni are in a shocking state – and deteriorating. No wonder crime is rampant.
What do we get from the mayor and his “power team”? Well, we do know that they spend our money on pet projects, like hiking tertiary bursaries from R10 million to R100 million. It seems the “People’s Budget” omitted mundane items like the above.
Let me be the one to inform the tunnel-vision mayor and team the one hard, critical fact needed for growth – businesses and talent are attracted to well-run cities with efficient infrastructure, low crime, good schools and quality of life.
Does Ekurhuleni qualify? Not in your wildest dreams.
Those in charge are really only interested in remaining on the gravy train for as long as possible.
How is it that the majority of voters are so blind to the blindingly obvious? Surely they see and experience the same as the rest of us. We need desperate change before disappearing down one of the myriad monster potholes!
