Residents of Ward 100, led by local non-profit organisation Phakama Mhlali, took to the streets this week to raise their concerns about ongoing service delivery issues and communication challenges with their local leadership.
The peaceful march, organised by the NPO, aimed to draw attention to residents’ questions regarding the installation of new water meters in the area.
“We started Phakama Mhlali after residents felt their concerns were not being addressed,” explained Tsholofelo Mokgwerane, interim vice-chairperson of the organisation. “We decided to take a collective step by organising a peaceful march and submitting our grievances to the Speaker’s Office.”
The group marched from the community to the Cosmo City Multi-Purpose Centre, where they handed over a memorandum outlining their requests. The memorandum was received by Nobuhle Mthembu, secretary to the Speaker’s Office.
“We will respond to the residents within 14 days,” Mthembu assured participants.
Chairperson Patrick Faleni expressed satisfaction with how the event was conducted.
“It was a peaceful march. There was no violence, and no one was injured. We are glad that we could make our voices heard respectfully,” he said.
The Cosmo City Chronicle reached out to the Ward 100 Councillor for comment. While we were unable to make contact by the time of publication, we will update this article if a response is received.
Phakama Mhlali says it hopes the memorandum will open the door to better communication between residents and the local council, ensuring that community concerns are handled transparently and efficiently.