Fochville residents have called on local authorities to urgently address violent crime, broken streetlights, poor roads and stalled infrastructure projects that they say are making life increasingly difficult in Kokosi.
The concerns were raised during the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Imbizo Wednesdays public meeting in Kokosi, where residents questioned Merafong City Local Municipality officials about service delivery and safety in the township.
Residents said non-functioning streetlights were particularly concerning because many people walk to work during the early morning and evening hours, leaving them vulnerable to criminals.
“We are made to pay utilities, but our streetlights are not working,” one resident said.
The resident also raised concerns about recent criminal incidents in nearby Wedela, saying residents needed safer streets.
“We demand safer streets, especially after the recent Wedela incident. People get mugged when going to work,” the resident said.
Another resident said fear of violent crime had become part of daily life in Kokosi.
“Thank you for coming to listen to the community of Kokosi because, honestly, we have a lot of problems,” the resident said.
“We have a high crime rate; it’s guns everywhere and we don’t feel safe. Gunshot incidents can happen even in daylight. On top of that, service delivery is very bad.”
Kokosi, which falls under Merafong City Local Municipality, has faced ongoing challenges linked to unemployment, poverty, crime and inadequate infrastructure.
Residents also raised concerns about unpaved roads, illegal land occupations and delays in housing and other infrastructure projects.
Merafong MMC for Community Development, Endrew Mbaliso, said the municipality was conducting weekly joint operations to address compliance issues at businesses, including spaza shops.
“Every week we do spaza shop blitzes with the relevant departments, like Home Affairs and Community Safety, to ensure that spaza shops are compliant,” Mbaliso said.
The stalled Popo Molefe Stadium was also raised during the meeting.
Mbaliso acknowledged that the project had been affected by payment disputes involving previous contractors.
“We are aware that there are contractors that are being owed, and the department is in the process of appointing a new contractor to continue with the development,” he said.
Housing and land issues were another major concern, particularly in Extensions 6 and 7.
MMC for Human Settlements and Land Development, Ntomboxolo Sefako, said housing development in Extension 6 was dependent on an agreement with the landowner.
“The houses in Extension 6 will come through the provincial government once delegations with the landowner are finalised to hand over the land so that the registration of title deeds can begin,” Sefako said.
Sefako also addressed concerns about residents allegedly occupying or allocating land outside the official process.
“Regarding self-allocations, the municipality and local government have issued eviction notices,” she said.
She said processes still needed to be completed before construction could begin in Extension 7, adding that planned housing developments were intended to benefit residents across the Merafong municipality.
For residents, however, the meeting was an opportunity to put pressure on authorities to address problems they say have persisted for too long.
The calls for action ranged from safer streets and functioning streetlights to the completion of stalled projects and progress on housing developments.
