The City’s mayoral committee member for area south, Eddie Andrews and other City representatives hosted a service delivery expo in Ocean View, as part of an Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP) roadshow for area south.
The City’s ODTP aims to transform the lives of residents by giving the mayor’s representative the opportunity to engage with communities.
This was Mr Andrews’ second visit to the area; he took the budget to the residents earlier this year through a street corner meeting.
About 150 residents engaged with the City’s representatives at the service delivery expo and used the opportunity to raise their concerns – or gather information that was available to them.
City Health was on hand to conduct health checks and their breast examination display caught the eye of many curious residents.
A large number of residents accessed the Library and Information Services table and made use of the SmartCape facility to access the City’s career portal.
A steady flow of residents kept the Revenue Department busy with account enquiries and indigent grant applications.
Residents were able to collect grant application forms and speak to officials on hand about the option that best suited their needs. “During my engagements with the various communities in area south, I picked up one common thread, and that is a huge appetite for the City services being provided on the day. Residents welcomed the opportunity to access information and also raise their concerns about local issues,” Mr Andrews said.
The Water and Sanitation Management Department handed out drain plugs to residents to help them increase their water-saving efforts. They also distributed rulers and pamphlets containing water-saving tips and highlighted the importance of detecting and fixing water leaks on their properties.
A number of residents made use of the opportunity to register on the housing database for the first time.
During the question-and-answer session with Mr Andrews, residents raised concerns about illegal drag-racing, youth development programmes, an increase in crime, street lighting and housing issues.
He urged residents to work closely with their ward councillors and to speak to the City’s representatives in attendance.
Based on residents’ concerns about crime levels in the area, Mr Andrews, sub-council chairperson, Felicity Purchase, and sub-council manager, Desiree Mentoor, visited the Ocean View South African Police Service, to build and strengthen relationships between the community and the police. “Although we still have a lot of work to do to redress the imbalances of the past, these roadshows are a significant step in the right direction. I firmly believe that we can only make progress and achieve success, to the benefit of our residents, if we all listen to their concerns and work together to find solutions,” Mr Andrews said.
Mr Andrews also visited three educare centres, to deliver toys as part of the Mayor’s Play it Forward campaign.
