Service delivery gradually returns to normal in Tshwane
11 AUGUST 2020
Tshwane residents have endured a torrid three-week period of service interruptions which took inordinately longer to restore due to the labour dispute that beset the City, but the good news is that services are gradually returning to normal.
On Friday, 07August 2020, the City leadership tabled a proposal to labour unions IMATU and SAMWU aimed at breaking the logjam and the parties undertook to seek a mandate from their members yesterday whether or not to accept the offer on the staggered payment of the benchmarking collective agreement monies. The City remains confident that the workers would accept the offer and return to work and expedite service delivery to our communities.
Impressive progress was made during the long weekend to reduce the backlog on service interruptions and services will be ramped up in respect of water and electricity distribution, water interruptions, sewer blockages as well as refuse collection as the week progresses.
Some of the notable progress made at the weekend included the following services:
Electricity distribution
- 92 cases were resolved regarding power interruptions affecting hospices, hospitals, potable water and sewer pump stations and waste water treatment plants
- 28 medium voltage power interruptions
- 34 low voltage block area interruptions
- 482 cases resolved of outstanding single consumer power interruptions
Water distribution
- 88 major water leaks (hydrants sidewalk leaks and burst water meters) resolved
- 143 leaking water meters attended to
- 10 area water interruptions and 316 sewer blockages were resolved.
Household waste collection service, including landfill sites and garden waste sites resumed to normality with effect from yesterday. There won’t be any special or additional capacity for collection to clear the backlog, which therefore means that normal schedule for collection will happen on the day scheduled for collection. Residents are therefore advised to take out their bins as per their normal schedule.
The teams are currently clearing up the backlog at various garden sites, starting from the inside to the outside. We urge our communities to start using the garden waste sites and refrain from dumping outside.
The A Re Yeng bus services resumed operations this morning and a decision is still pending as to when the Tshwane Bus Services (TBS) will be back on the road, however, it is expected that the TBS buses will be operational soon.
Tshwane Head Administrator Mpho Nawa said that he was relatively pleased with the progress that was made during the long weekend and hoped that the backlog would be expeditiously cleared so that services can return to normal.
“A lot of cleaning up has taken place in various areas of the City where litter was dumped on the streets, and essential services did a splendid job at the weekend repairing and restoring services, although some cases are yet to be resolved and are still pending, we are gradually ramping up the speed at which we are providing services. This is work in progress and we are making significant strides. We wish to once more, offer our sincerest apologies to our residents for the inconvenience caused. We live in hope that we will be back to full strength before the end of this week,” Nawa said.
Issued by Communication, Marketing and Events Department.