Ward 13 councillor reflects on 2025 progress and outlines 2026 priorities

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21-01-2026
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Kempton Express
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“Looking ahead, my focus will be on maintaining streetlights, reducing illegal dumping, improving refuse removal, rehabilitating more roads and intensifying efforts to reduce crime.”

Ward 13 Clr Bulelwa Ngqwangi reflected on 2025, highlighting progress in the ward and what prevented the full implementation of some projects.

Ngqwangi said the municipality did not approve all the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) needs for the 2025/26 financial year due to insufficient funding for capital projects.

One unrealised project was building a clinic in Birch Acres, which, she said, stalled due to a lack of funding from the Gauteng Provincial Government.

She added that private companies own most of the vacant land in Ward 13, which limits opportunities to build government infrastructure.

Despite the challenges, Ngqwangi outlined several achievements and focus areas in the ward. These include building two schools in Birch Acres, completing a long-outstanding school project, installing high-mast lights and repairing major tarred roads.

She emphasised the importance of building strong working relationships with the government, including the SAPS, and private institutions, shopping centres and public and private schools.

Strengthening co-operation with community leaders and political structures remained a priority to help fast-track service delivery.

Ngqwangi said service delivery interventions, such as responding to illegal dumping, potholes and broken streetlights, still formed the central part of her work as a councillor.

“Looking ahead, my focus will be on maintaining streetlights, reducing illegal dumping, improving refuse removal, rehabilitating more roads and intensifying efforts to reduce crime,” she said.

“I plan to host more public meetings to give feedback to residents and establish ward-based sector committees that will work alongside ward committees.”

She said other priorities include encouraging residents to pay for municipal services, discouraging illegal electricity connections, and lobbying all spheres of government to approve and fund additional capital projects in the ward to stimulate job creation.

Ngqwangi also called on businesses in the ward to prioritise locals when hiring, adding that rehabilitating industrial infrastructure and reducing crime in industrial areas would attract investment and improve service delivery.

Ngqwangi said about 80% of her planned 2025 initiatives materialised.

She is confident that outstanding issues will be addressed, citing improved political stability in the metro, commitments from the National Treasury to fund more capital projects in townships to boost township economies, and stricter controls to minimise illegal construction without approved building plans.

A key challenge identified was the vastness of the ward, which makes it difficult to hold public meetings as required by council resolutions.

To address this, Ngqwangi implemented street meetings, voting district meetings and established street committees.
She noted political instability linked to some community leaders affiliated with opposition parties, including resistance rooted in gender-based attitudes.

Ngqwangi attributed the success of ward projects to specific strategies, including introducing appointed contractors to the community through public meetings and establishing steering committees comprising community members rather than political representatives.

“I consistently advocate for contractors to employ local youth and women, provide skills transfer, and source materials from local businesses,” said Ngqwangi.

“Regarding road rehabilitation projects discussed during the IDP review held on October 24, I can confirm that full rehabilitation, strengthening and re-tarring of roads are planned,” she added.

“All procurement and tender processes are handled by the relevant municipal departments. The community will be informed once contractors are appointed and introduced, while project timelines and implementation will depend on the scope of work involved.”