Ivory Park residents threaten election boycott over service delivery

A view of a sign displaying the direction in which the voting station is located as people walk to cast their votes in the South African elections.

Residents of Ivory Park, north of Johannesburg, have threatened to not participate in the upcoming local government elections amid poor service delivery. Residents say they are forced to endure the stench of waste left to accumulate on the side of the road.

They say the situation has created unsafe and unsanitary living conditions.

One of the residents, Isaac Mhlongo, says he does not see the need to vote anymore.

“We have never had any assistance, and the community now are planning to open the streets to strike. I think in our our community, people are no longer interested to go to vote for the local government because there is a challenge of service delivery, such as crime. Police are not working closely with the community. Also, the issue of water, the community is angry because of those issues.”

Ward 133 Councillor, Lehumo Marumo, says efforts are being made to address the situation.

“It is easy for me to commit because I conduct an oversight on a daily basis. I ensure that they do get what they have been promised. It can’t slip me. And on that dumping spot, it’s a problem. I’m appealing to residents, you know … Pick It Up would clean today and then following day, you find people dumping. It’s just an appeal that ‘let’s work together to maintain the cleanliness of the Ivory Park and the entire area’.”