Honesty and diligence – that's what Makana's First Citizen is demanding from municipal employees from now on.
Honesty and diligence – that's what Makana's First Citizen is demanding from municipal employees from now on.
In his address at the official opening of Council at Seven Fountains village on Friday, Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter vowed to respond to the community's problems and deliver quality services.
He said the people of Makana, especially in the Makana's Kop area, had put up with water problems for more than five years.
"This requires that we focus in ensuring improvement in the quality of services we provide… we need to ensure that all employees in our city serve the people of Makana with honesty and diligence."
The mayor said the slow progress in addressing the eradication of the buckets and Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine toilets was a concern to them.
"The situation in Extension 6 of the toilets is a health hazard," said Peter. "We must before the end of 2013 eradicate the bucket system. We have heard complaints about the collection of the buckets, and there was a report that the workers demand to be paid. Now that is wrong because these people are paid by the municipality," said Peter.
About R32 million is planned for conversion of pit latrines and bucket systems to water-borne sewage at lower Makana's Kop; the construction of new toilet structures in Extension 6 and construction of Sewer Reticulation, also in Extension 6.
"Makana municipality failed to eradicate the bucket/VIP toilet system during the national targeted deadline (December 2007) due to financial constrains and [lack of]readiness of project areas," Peter explained.
He said, however, that progress had been made in KwaNdancama and Glebe Mission.
Highlighting milestones in progress since June 2011, Peter nevertheless said the water problem and the sewer and reticulation remained a challenge.
He said the critical position of the municipal manager, which has remained vacant since the council parted ways with former MM Ntombi Baart, would be attended to soon.
"This position is one of many critical position within the institution – but the internal employment procedure has been completed."
He promised to kick off his programme of 'Ear to the ground' by visiting the municipality's traffic department this week.
"The objective of this programme is to seek to change a culture of doing things. Also to listen to our workforce on the challenges they are confronted with," he said.
Another programme that the mayor will be embarking on is the Mayoral Walkabouts, which started on Friday. "This programme is aimed at ensuring that we do our oversight role. There will be weekly visits of all the projects that we have funded," the Mayor said.
He sent condolences to the family of Thandiswa Qubuda, who died recently after a brutal attack. "Even though we recognise human rights month, we're starting it in a very painful note," Peter said.
Local Democratic Alliance chief whip Xolani Madyo told Friday's crowd that as the opposition party they were not there to criticise everything done by the ruling party.
"Our policy is to work with the ruling party, but to be a proactive opposition in ensuring effective service delivery. Otherwise they will just do as they like," Madyo said.
ANC chief whip Vuyani Kolisi noted that Friday was international Women's day, saying, "You develop a woman, you are developing a nation. We as the ruling party commit ourselves to the speech that was made by the Mayor," Kolisi said.
The mayor said one of the Council's achievements since the start of 2013 had been the Bavumile Project, which looked to improve the plight of women in Makana municipality.
"In this project we have employed about 42 young women who are educating our communities about ways of saving water."
"We are going to expand this project next month and employ about 100 youth, women and disabled people," he said, adding that this was the year of employment for the youth of Makana.
