Residents of Alexandra in Johannesburg say receiving basic services such as a regular supply of clean water, electricity, waste removal and proper sanitation remains a dream for many of them.
On Monday, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba launched his party's nationwide campaign aimed at improving services in local government. Residents took advantage of Mashaba's visit and laid bare their frustrations and daily struggles regarding service delivery.
Lusanda Siswela, who lives along London Road in Alexandra, said they have been living in shacks for many years, but they still lack basic services. She said they had hoped to be allocated RDP houses.
“These shacks have been here for 15 years, but we still don’t have electricity and water. It’s winter, and we’re freezing because we have no power. Paraffin and gas are too expensive. We’re struggling. Our R350 doesn't even cover the cost of paraffin, and we’re unemployed. The government should help us with electricity. We are voting, and we’re asking for help,” she said.
Illegal electricity connections are rampant and residents admit to connecting illegally to the grid, and put the blame on the government for failing to provide them with electricity.
Water and its billing are also a major problem, residents said. One resident told TimesLIVE that he was charged nearly R15,000 for water usage, even though he doesn't have a water meter and doesn’t know how these charges are calculated.
“Here in Alex, we sometimes go two or three days without water. It makes it hard to cook, clean and stay healthy,” said Bongani Khumalo, another resident.
Youth unemployment is another major concern.
Zami Vakilahle Slender said the government hasn't done enough to help young people in Alexandra.
“We haven't seen any youth programmes here in years. The youth are being neglected. Many turn to drugs because it's the only way they know to deal with things. The government doesn’t care unless it’s election time, and then they just make empty promises.”
Health services are also not good enough.
“When we go to the hospital, we often don’t get the medicine we need because the hospitals are overcrowded,” Zami added.
Skanyiso Shezi said residents are losing trust in the government.
“Politicians only show up when elections are coming. They just pass by, give us free T-shirts and disappear. They don’t see what we’re really going through,” he said.
As part of ActionSA’s campaign for the 2026 local government elections, Mashaba rolled up his sleeves and filled some of the potholes in Alexandra, saying that was his way of showing that real change requires action, not just talk.
Mashaba said: “To know that the roads in Alexandra are bad doesn’t need an unnecessary national dialogue.”
“ActionSA is ready to take municipalities off the path of decay and set them firmly on the road to recovery and growth,” he said.
TimesLIVE
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