Municipal services in Macassar have been reinstated to full capacity just months after the election of Peter Helfrich as Ward 109 councillor.
In a press statement, he said residents had expressed joy and satisfaction at the reopening of the municipal service centre, which has further motivated him to strive to exceed the community’s expectations.
The municipal building in Macassar was set alight during a protest in April 2018 (“Macassar municipal building razed”, DistrictMail, 3 May 2018). The fire destroyed computer equipment, furniture and office records.
City of Cape staff who were inside the building when it was set alight managed to escape unharmed, but they were left traumatised. The staffers received the necessary counselling after the incident.
“Not only was it necessary for funding to be diverted from other crucial projects to repair the damage, but it also had a detrimental impact on service delivery,” explained Helfrich. “Many of the services that were traditionally offered at the office could not be offered for years while renovations and repairs were underway.”
Many residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the handful of residents that set the building alight as this caused great inconvenience, especially to elderly residents, who were forced to travel to neighbouring wards in Somerset West and Strand to obtain municipal services during this time.
“I will, at all times, prioritise customer satisfaction and always strive to exceed expectations,” Helfrich said. “Therefore, during the first few days in office, I worked tirelessly with our officials to open the gates of the facility so that customers could be served. Together, we then set out clear plans to have the relevant staff return to the building to start serving residents.
“I am really happy that, within a few months of me taking office, we were able to get the relevant officials back behind their desks and ready to serve customers. We have also been able to make additional services, such as FreeCall lines and mobile offices, available for residents.”
The City’s Customer Relations Department’s mobile office also visited Ward 109 on yesterday (Wednesday 16 February). Officials assisted residents with account enquiries relating to rates, sewerage, electricity, water and refuse collections, and all other account enquiries, including general enquiries relating to City parks, solid waste, property management, valuations and potholes.
“For those residents who were unable to visit the mobile office, please visit our office in Bind Avenue, Macassar, to speak to our customer-relations team. I need to bring to residents attention that we only had 14 residents visiting the mobile office last week,” Helfrich said.
“If the turnout remains this low, it will not be feasible for the City to continue this programme in the ward. Let’s use this opportunity to clean up our ward. If you know of spaces in our ward that are affected by illegal dumping, or if you would like to have certain stormwater drains cleaned, please report it.”
Residents who are working during the mobile office’s visit to Macassar can still the after-hours mechanisms to report issues affecting them.
