ALEXANDRA HEARINGS: City of Johannesburg says ‘we deliver in Alex’: residents cry ‘rubbish’

Foremost among residents’ claims at this week’s hearings into conditions in Alexandra were the issues of land invasions and the mushrooming of illegal structures. It was alleged that the city’s Johannesburg Metro Police Department and other departments were failing to combat illegal invasions and demolish illegal structures.“

The city also faced a barrage of questions regarding the issue of uncollected waste which is a major eyesore and health hazard in Alexandra. The reply was that waste is collected seven days a week. When probed further, Lukhwareni said this was not a full seven-day cycle for each area, but that they serviced different places on different days.We have a dilemma regarding waste collection and our dilemma is that we cannot manage the waste backlog if we miss a day of waste collection.

Fitzgerald wanted to know how the city was managing its sewerage services in Alexandra. The city said because some houses were built on fire hydrants, it was difficult to attend to sewage problems at the women’s hostel.How many cases of sewage blockages in Sandton have been left unattended for a year?” Human Rights Commission Senior Legal Officer, Matthew du Plessis asked. Johannesburg Water’s Ntshavheni Mukwevho said he could not recall any.

The City of Johannesburg officials were also grilled on the controversy surrounding the R1.3-billion for the 2001 Alexandra Renewal Project , which seemingly never materialised. The ARP became a subject of much debate during the recent strike in Alexandra – as tempers flared all around the township, many Alexandra residents felt the money could have been used for development in the area.

Vusumuzi Dlamini, Senior Legal Officer in the office of the Public Protector, was not satisfied. He said that each time he asked questions seeking to trace the money trail, city officials deflected his attempts.

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