Grocott's Mail
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Tuesday, June 17
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Grocott's Mail
    • NEWS
      • Courts & Crime
      • Features
      • Politics
      • People
      • Health & Well-being
    • SPORT
      • News
      • Results
      • Sports Diary
      • Club Contacts
      • Columns
      • Sport Galleries
      • Sport Videos
    • OPINION
      • Election Connection
      • Makana Voices
      • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
      • Newtown… Old Eyes
      • Incisive View
      • Your Say
    • ARTSLIFE
      • Cue
        • Cue Archives
      • Makana Sharp!
      • Visual Art
      • Literature
      • Food
      • Festivals
      • Community Arts
      • Going Places
    • OUR TOWN
      • What’s on
      • Spiritual
      • Emergency & Well-being
      • Covid-19
      • Safety
      • Civic
      • Municipality
      • Weather
      • Properties
        • Grahamstown Properties
      • Your Town, Our Town
    • OUTSIDE
      • Enviro News
      • Gardening
      • Farming
      • Science
      • Conservation
      • Motoring
      • Pets/Animals
    • ECONOMIX
      • Business News
      • Entrepreneurship
      • Personal Finance
    • EDUCATION
      • Education NEWS
      • Education OUR TOWN
      • Education INFO
    • EDITORIAL
    Grocott's Mail
    You are at:Home»OUR TOWN»GRA Update»GRA meeting hones in on ragged roads
    GRA Update

    GRA meeting hones in on ragged roads

    Student ReporterBy Student ReporterApril 2, 2018Updated:April 3, 2018No Comments2 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    A resident speaks at a community meeting hosted by the Grahamstown Residents Association in Noluthando Hall, Joza, on Tuesday 27 March 2018. Community members raised various concerns including evictions from informal settlements, the lack of maintenance of grave sites, the lack of a home for the aged, brown sludge in the water, uneven distribution of black rubbish bags, sewage leaks and the need for traffic control at the corner of Albert Street and Dr Jacob Zuma Drive, where traffic lights have been out for months. Photo: Sue Maclennan

    By JASON MASEKO

    On 27 March, the Grahamstown Residents’ Association (GRA) hosted a meeting at Noluthando Hall in Joza.

    Ward 2 Councillor Ramie Xonxa was present to answer questions, while GRA Committee Member Xolani Simakuhle made note of each ward’s respective issues.

    Community members expressed their grievances on topics ranging from dilapidated infrastructure, lack of services, and ineffective service delivery. From the concerns raised, lack of maintenance and accountability seemed to be the root of the problems in Makana’s ill-maintained wards.

    “The issue that handicaps us is money,” Xonxa said.

    “There are reasons why there’s a lack of money,” GRA Secretary Tim Bull affirmed. “This doesn’t mean we have the resources to fix everything, but it does mean we will hold people to account.”

    GRA Chairperson Philip Machanick echoed this sentiment, stating that only R6 million is allocated towards roadworks even though R300 million is needed to repair and maintain Makana’s roads. Machanick affirmed that the most affected municipal areas would have their roads repaired first, namely Joza.

    Previous GRA gatherings were held within the heart of Grahamstown. The location of this meeting was chosen to allow residents to interact personally with Acting Makana Municipal manager Ted Pillay. Pillay could not attend the meeting due to an appointment with the municipal premier, set to take place the following day. Xonxa made formal apologies for Pillay’s absence.

    A resident speaks at a community meeting hosted by the Grahamstown Residents Association on 27 February. Photos: Sue Maclennan
    Residents listen at the community meeting hosted by the Grahamstown Residents Association in Noluthando Hall on 27 February.
    Previous ArticleTower exposes deeper crisis, doctors warn*
    Next Article Six die in N2 crash outside Grahamstown
    Student Reporter

      Comments are closed.

      Code of Ethics and Conduct
      GROCOTT’S SUBSCRIPTION
      RMR
      Listen to RMR


      Humans of Makhanda

      Humans of Makhanda

      Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

      © 2025 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.