Central ward councillors, CPF reflect on year

Rekord recently caught up with some Pretoria Central councillors and the Sunnyside CPF to gauge how 2024 went for them.

Ward 81 councillor, Mpho Lewele says that his ward has seen an improvement in collaborations with law enforcement agencies such as the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), Sunnyside SAPS community patrollers, Traffic Wardens and the Department of Economic Development.

These partnerships are said to have assisted the area with by-law enforcement and compliance in the ward, however, Lewele says that the area still faces challenges.

“[2024] has its own challenges, especially non-compliance by developers and contractors that leave trenches and stockpiles in the road unattended which had a negative impact on the work of the city in Ward 81,” Lewele says.

“Vagrancy is still a challenge that I need to work on with human rights agencies, the Department of Social Development and law enforcement agencies to address in 2025 going forward.”

Lewele had a particularly challenging year personally after surviving an attack by armed assailants in May.

“The biggest challenge that brought a setback on most of the successes was on May 21 when I was ambushed and shot by three gunmen. I was out of action for four months and that on its own affected service delivery,” he says.
“Even though the team kept things together to make sure that things didn’t fall apart, people still received the service. Councillor Mpati Ramphile who acted on my behalf worked with the team to make sure that all went very well while I was recovering from the gun wounds,” Lewele explains.

The councillor says that in 2025 the plan is to improve service.

He also looks forward to the formation of CID as the biggest intervention that will deal with so many challenges collectively. This can be achieved with the most role players being property owners and developers.

Chairperson of the Sunnyside CPF, Sandile Dube says the forum’s biggest highlights were the election wins of Ward 92 councillor, Shimmy Mashamaite and Ward 81 councillor Mpho Lewele.

Mashamaite is the deputy chairperson of the Sunnyside CPF and Lewele is a former secretary. Dube says these appointments showcase the leadership capabilities within their ranks.

“These councillors, in turn, become our major stakeholders in crime-fighting initiatives within the Sunnyside policing precinct. Secondly, we were able to formulate a very effective and comprehensive community patroller programme, which, in the main, was to assist police and the community in reducing crime. Sunnyside Head of Detectives won the award of the year in the province supported by this intervention,” Dube says.

Dube insists community participation remains a major challenge as sector crime forums are not fully functional. The area is said to have a variety of foreign nationals who are not included in community policing programmes, except for participation as a stakeholder or through their respective embassies.

“Our problematic crimes remain theft of motor vehicles, theft out of motor vehicles, and residential burglaries. There is more still needs to be done. We need businesses to come on board fully in support of this initiative. Effective support of business will most definitely reciprocate positive results. Remember, the men and women who are doing patrolling work are volunteers with no salary,” Dube says.

The Sunnyside CPF aims to be more inclusive of the community it represents.

In 2025, they aim to reach out to various community stakeholders such as students, businesses, churches, NGOs and tertiary institutions to bring much-needed theoretical and practical support.

“We need all these community stakeholders to connect at the community patroller level as a nodal point of contact with the CPF. We would also appreciate it if the Department of Community Safety could come on board in terms of the stipend to really show support for such initiatives specifically at the community level. Sunnyside CPF would like to take this opportunity to wish community members a safe and restful festive season,” he says.

After being elected Ward 92 (Arcadia and Colbyn) councillor in August, Shimmy Mashamaite says that he is fully committed to delivering excellent service for the ward.

Mashamaite has been part of several clean-ups, and safety awareness events as well as service delivery and by-law operations, partnering with the Department of Community Safety, Sunnyside CPF, Sector 2 CPF, Sunnyside SAPS and the patrollers.

“I look forward with great enthusiasm to building a strong working relationship with the ward committee, as we work together to transform the lives of the communities of Ward 92 and enhance service delivery,” Mashamaite says.

He says that some of the challenges his ward has faced include delays in service delivery caused by the municipality and high unemployment rates, which need creative solutions.

In 2025, Mashamaite’s main priorities are creating jobs by partnering with local businesses and offering skills training. He wants to improve communication by hosting regular feedback sessions with residents. Fixing key issues like power outages in Colbyn and speeding up repairs for water leaks across the ward.

“As the festive season approaches, I want to wish all Ward 92 residents a joyful and safe celebration. This is a time to reflect, be thankful, and come together as a community. Your support over the last three months has been vital, and I look forward to building on our successes together. Let’s cherish our loved ones, stay safe, and embrace the hope of a better year ahead,” Mashamaite concludes.

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.