The air of anticipation was palpable as Makana citizens crammed into the city hall to find out who their new mayor would be, at the first meeting of the new municipal council yesterday.
The air of anticipation was palpable as Makana citizens crammed into the city hall to find out who their new mayor would be, at the first meeting of the new municipal council yesterday.
They'd been expecting fireworks after supporters of Cosatu provincial leader Paul Notyawa vowed after a protest on Tuesday to make Grahamstown "ungovernable" should former Riebeek East mayor Zamuxolo Peter don the mayoral chain.
But it was Peter who was elected Makana mayor yesterday – and who, calling for unity in his victory speech, asked his fellow councillors to set aside their differences. Asserting his authority from the start, he issued a stern warning that underperforming municipal employees would be fired.
"If you don't do your work, you'll have to excuse us [leave]," he said, before the crowd burst into loud cheers of approval.
Peter appealed to local non-govermental organisations and government departments to partner with the municipality to deliver services to the community, and slammed government departments for sending their junior staff to strategic planning meetings for the municipality's Integrated Development Plan – a key tool for service-delivery.
He identified the following challenges for the incoming council:
- Skills development
- Wellness of municipal workers
- The dilapidated state of the city's buildings and housing.
All 20 ANC councillors voted for Peter, to the disappointment of some members of the public who had anticipated that Cosatu's provincial leader Paul Notyawa would contest the proceedings. His contender, Democratic Alliance councillor Les Reynolds, received only seven votes, as one DA councillor abstained. Council speaker Rachel Madinda was elected unopposed by the 28-strong council.
Ward 10 councillor-elect Vuyani Kolisi was unopposed as the council's whip, after Peter announced the following members of his full-time mayoral committee:
- Paul Notyawa (Local Economic Development portfolio committee chairperson);
- Mthuthuzeli "Mabhuti" Matyumza (Social Development and Community Empowerment portfolio committee chairperson);
- Pierre Ranchhod (Finance and Corporate Services portfolio committee chairperson);
- Nombulelo Masoma (Tourism portfolio committee chairperson) and;
- Nomhle Gaga (Infrastructure Development portfolio committee chairperson).
Peter congratulated Madinda on her re-election and said her office was crucial for the delivery of municipal services to the Makana community.
"One of your duties is to develop a clear programme of action with regard to the establishment of street and area committees, which will feed into the establishment of ward committees," he said.
