On Thursday, 8 October, ACTION SA launched its manifesto at the Dawn Park tennis court, introducing Kutlwano Digashoa as the party’s candidate for Ward 43. Digashoa outlined his proposed priorities for addressing local challenges, including infrastructure, municipal services, public safety and recreational facilities.
The candidate argues that Dawn Park’s municipal infrastructure and services have not kept pace with residential growth. He also believes councillors should do more than escalate complaints. Instead, they should identify the root causes of recurring problems and improve communication between the municipality and residents.
Service Delivery and Infrastructure
According to Digashoa, Ward 43 needs more efficient service delivery, supported by greater municipal investment in infrastructure. He argues that this investment should reflect the commitment residents have already made by purchasing property and paying municipal rates.
“As residents, when you buy a home in the particular area, you are investing,” he said, adding that the city should use the revenue generated through rates and other payments to provide services to residents
Digashoa claims that Dawn Park’s infrastructure has not kept pace with its residential growth over the years. He noted that in 2011 there were 2 975 households recorded in Dawn Park. Jump to 2026 and that number has risen to approximately 20 000. The candidate argues that the growth in the number of households has outpaced the development of adequate infrastructure.
He goes on to link recurring electricity interruptions in Dawn Park to the infrastructure that he claims was originally designed to serve a much smaller number of homes. According to Digashoa, the same capacity is now expected to meet the needs of a substantially larger population. He said similar concerns affect water supply, waste collection and sewage services.
“The capacity of the municipal services do not equal the number of residents that currently reside within the space,” he said.
Digashoa described the relationship between residents and the municipality as a partnership. He argued that both should contribute to the development of the ward.
“In order for us to run a good ward for ourselves, we have to expect the municipality to also invest in infrastructure of the particular ward,” he said.
Recreational Facilities and Community Participation
Digashoa acknowledged that Dawn Park lacks recreational facilities. He described the tennis court where the meeting took place as the area’s only recreational facility. He called on the municipality to refurbish and maintain existing facilities so that the community can continue to use them.
“We should not complain about what we don’t have,” he said, emphasising the need to improve the facilities that are already available. “We do need refurbishment, we do need maintenance to keep them at a standard that is actually usable by the community.”
However, Digashoa argued that responsibility should not rest with the municipality alone. He encouraged residents of Dawn Park to take the initiative by dedicating their time to organising sports teams, such as soccer or netball teams, that could make regular use of the available facilities.
“Over and above that, even if we do have the facilities, if there are no people who are actually taking initiative to come and ensure that we do utilise these facilities to their full capacity, then there’s no point,” he said.
He added that while residents should take the initiative to organise community activities, the municipality must support those efforts through adequate investment and infrastructure development.
Digashoa proposed a similar approach in dealing with community safety. According to him this problem is not something that a single entity can resolve. He said that it requires the entire society to cooperate. “We need participation by all community members and we also need all role players to be involved to ensure that we actually have a better and safer environment”
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Accountability, Communication and Access to the Councillor
Digashoa argued that the municipality should identify and address the root causes of recurring service-delivery problems rather than simply respond to them after they occur. He used the example of a newly built road developing potholes within six months. Suggesting that the problem could lie with the quality of materials used by contractors or a shortage of skilled workers.
“We need to identify where these issues actually emanated from,” he said.
Digashoa noted that an open-door policy would be important in ensuring that residents can access the councillor and the services available through the office.
“As a councillor, I pledge to being available and also to having quicker responses to individuals,” he said.
He also promised to hold more frequent community meetings. He stated that residents do not always receive information about programmes and opportunities offered by the City of Ekurhuleni. According to Digashoa, some municipal programmes aim to develop young people’s skills and provide employment opportunities. However, information about them does not always reach the intended recipients.
“Having a councillor that will be more available and who would ensure that information is actually provided would actually be a good start for us,” he said.
At the close of the meeting, a member of the ACTION SA team encouraged residents to report service-delivery problems to the municipality and keep the reference numbers issued when logging complaints. She explained that these references help the municipality track reported issues and make it easier for councillors to follow up on unresolved complaints.
The team member also highlighted the City of Ekurhuleni’s My CoE app as a platform residents can use to submit complaints and receive reference numbers. According to her the best way to escalate problems is through references cause only then can the municipality tackle issues. “it makes the councillor’s job so much easier” she says .
