‘Govt will track community concerns and hold officials accountable’

Deputy President Paul Mashatile says government will now be able to hold officials accountable and track whether concerns raised by the community are given the attention they deserve. Mashatile was speaking at the opening of a Parliamentary Constituency Office (PCO) in Ntuzuma, north of Durban. The office is intended to give residents a platform to raise concerns, seek assistance, and bring service delivery complaints to the attention of their elected representatives. Communities in Ntuzuma continue to face challenges, including unreliable water supplies, housing backlogs, and concerns about crime. Mashatile says, “The PCO compiles reports; they will say that there is a problem of crime here. This is what happens: there is a problem of burst pipes or whatever that leads to a challenge of water. So those reports, when they reach us, we then take this to relevant ministers and deputy ministers or the municipality and a provincial government to then act because that is an important thing; communities must not raise problems and nothing is done. So, you’re going to see a lot of actions arising from those reports we get.” Mashatile opens KwaMashu/Ntuzuma Parliamentary Constituency Office: