Makana Municipality has to respond to its residents' urgent need for houses, electricity and water-borne toilets, says Makana Municipality's new leader, Zamuxolo Peter.
Makana Municipality has to respond to its residents' urgent need for houses, electricity and water-borne toilets, says Makana Municipality's new leader, Zamuxolo Peter.
Executive Mayor Peter revealed during an interview with Grocott's Mail that these were in his short-term plans as he prepared to "hit the ground running". He said the municipality would soon be inviting tenders to replace the bucket-toilet system in Kwandancama and Eluxolweni, the only two formal areas still using the system.
Reflecting on his election to the highest office in the city, Peter said he felt good because of the support Makana residents had given him. "It was very much emotional, especially when one thinks about the experiences of 2006," he said. Peter lost his bid to become the city's mayor to Phumelelo Kate by 16 to 8 votes and that left him with bad memories.
However, five years later, he was the one who delivered his victory speech in front of hundreds of Makana residents at an overflowing City Hall. Some people had travelled from as far as Alicedale, Riebeek East and other rural areas to witness the grand occasion.
Peter said the first thing he had done as the new mayor was to call the staff members who report to his office to ask what programmes were in place. "I've given them the task of compiling progress reports about what they have been doing, and what projects are in the pipeline," he said. He also paid surprise visits to the Grocott's Mail and Radio Grahamstown offices on Friday morning.
"I went to Grocott's just to say hi," he said, saying this was because he was committed to keeping in touch with the local community. Peter said that there would not be harassment of municipal workers, but underperforming officials should "do themselves a favour and leave" the institution.
Before employees left the municipality, however, he said the organisation first needed to assess each employee's specific needs and consider re-assigning struggling employees to lower levels of work, according to their individual strengths and weaknesses.
He said councillors and officials should meet in a strategic planning session, where a plan of action for skills development in the municipality, including applicable time frames, would be developed. Peter declined to comment on the on the suspension of Makana chief financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane, and said he would have an opinion on the matter after municipal manager Ntombi Baart had given him the report which she had promised during last week's council meeting.
