- The City of Cape Town popped up in remote areas with its mobile office to be of service to locals unable to travel.
- People’s Post paid a visit to the City’s mobile office at the Hangberg Library in Bayview Road.
- Residents are urged to make use of the City’s mobile office services stationed in their areas.
Every now and then the City of Cape Town pops up in remote areas with its mobile office to be of service to locals unable to travel far to their municipal building as they did in Hangberg and Hout Bay last week.
On Wednesday 1 November, People’s Post paid a visit to the City’s mobile office at the Hangberg Library in Bayview Road, which was available to residents.
At this time, the City’s customer relations department’s mobile team said only about two residents had visited within two hours of being stationed there.
“It’s very quiet,” said one of the team members, “but the residents who were here raised queries related to a land claim and potholes.”
Despite the mobile office being quiet People’s Post set out onto the streets, where roaming residents were approached to learn about local service delivery.
“I’m happy in Hangberg and there’s no other place I’d rather be in,” said a 31-year-old woman in Atlantic Skipper Street, who withheld her name, “this is where I grew up and where I will stay.
“However, I must say where the clinic is stationed now in Victoria Street is very far away. Previously, it was right here at the library.
“Now it’s a long walk to get there and once there you are exposed to the hot sun or cold weather and rain, out in the open while waiting hours in line. And most of us have babies we carry along.”
Her companion, a 54-year-old woman who also wished to withhold her name, added that the City’s mobile office may be stationed too far up to be reached by most residents.
“They should rather be stationed in the lower areas,” she suggested.
When another group was approached and asked about their experience of service delivery in Hangberg, a mother of three, Aldorichia Arnoldus (27), said outright: “It’s s**t! The service delivery is poor because of the all-too-frequent electricity and water outages.
“The turnaround times for power outages are 12-24 hours. The water would go off without notice, come back and disappear again and it happens a lot!”
The same group, too, mentioned that the clinic was too far away and missed the days when it was stationed near the library, adjacent to the mosque.
“Now we have to go to the clinic at the medical centre, which means costly transport, while other services, such as dental, now cost money where we previously accessed such services for free,” Arnoldus said.
Service delivery can be improved in Hangberg as its residents suggest. However, residents are urged to make use of the City’s mobile office services stationed in their areas where their queries can be heard and submitted via appropriate channels to be addressed.
