Emfuleni subpoenaed over service delivery failures

The Gauteng provincial legislature’s Standing Committee on Petitions, chaired by Vuyiswa Jentile, met on Thursday  to assess eight service delivery petitions submitted by residents.

Only one of the eight petitions received a formal response.

The unresolved issues include broken services in Sebokeng, water and housing problems in Tshepiso, billing disputes, and the hijacking of land in Evaton.

Committee Chair Vuyiswa Jentile says  no senior accountable officials from Emfuleni were present to respond to the remaining seven petitions or to account to the committee and the petitioners.

"One of these petitions dates back as far as 2013 and remains unresolved. A clear indication of a serious and unacceptable lack of urgency in addressing longstanding community concerns.

"The unresolved petitions submitted by residents include: Service delivery failures in Sebokeng, relocation and lack of basic services in Tshepiso, Evaton Township Mega Project, disputes around municipal rates and taxes billing, and the hijacking of residential erfs in Evaton.

"These are not minor administrative oversights, they are critical service delivery failures that impact the daily lives and dignity of residents.

"As a result, the committee has taken a firm and decisive decision: Emfuleni Municipality will be subpoenaed to appear before the committee in the coming weeks.

"This is to ensure full accountability and progress on the petitions which remain unresolved to this day. The residents of Emfuleni deserve answers - not continued neglect," says Jentile.

Jentile warns the committee is not prepared to tolerate repeated failures to respond. 

"The inaction of Emfuleni is not only stalling the resolution of valid community grievances but is also undermining the integrity of the petitions system itself.

"The committee also highlighted how unresolved petitions are clogging the system and limiting its ability to address new and emerging issues from across the province.

“Our petitions system is the last hope for many ordinary citizens who have exhausted all other avenues of recourse. As public representatives, we have a duty to act firmly and decisively," says  Jentile 

 Jentile  says barricading streets during protests should not be the language that is understood by service delivery points before remedial action.

"All petitions remain open until the committee is satisfied that meaningful interventions have been implemented. The committee will continue to monitor these matters closely and act in the best interest of the people of Gauteng.”

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