Fake tender mail not from the city manager
The metro distances itself from fake emails regarding the “awarding” of a particular tender.
“There is an email circulating purportedly from the city manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi, informing a company to urgently contact an official regarding ‘contract: A-EE 16-2018’,” said the city manager’s spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini.
“Dr Mashazi distances herself from these malicious and fake emails, which certainly were never generated and sent by the city manager, nor do they originate from her computer.
“The metro views this development as a desperate attempt, by faceless people, to tarnish the image of the city manager.”
Dlamini said the incident is viewed in a serious light, and the metro has launched a full-scale investigation into the matter in an attempt to identify the source of the email.
“The matter will be reported to the SAPS so that those responsible can face the full might of the law,” he explained.
“The metro is a municipality of systems and processes and fully subscribes to the procurement processes as outlined in the Municipal Finance Management Act.”
Youth prioritised for jobs
An ANC Ekurhuleni caucus motion was passed at the council meeting on October 25 to give a minimum of 40 per cent of work opportunities to unemployed and skilled youth.
The motion was supported by all members of the council.
The ANC caucus believes that the challenges of unemployment and skilling of youth need to be at the centre of the metro’s transformation agenda, on the back of Stats SA’s recent announcement that unemployment has increased from 26 per cent to 27 per cent.
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“We further encouraged the metro to lobby the private sector to redouble its efforts of skilling and employing young people to give meaning to the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme driven by President Cyril Ramaphosa,” said metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe.
“The unemployment rate is 52.2 per cent for youths aged between 15 and 24, and 35.5 per cent for those between 25 and 34.
“The ANC caucus in Ekurhuleni believes that with the aggressive implementation of government programmes such as Minthiro Ya Vula (job opportunities opening), which is largely aimed at empowering the youth and women, we can be able to address this challenge.”
More Harambee RBT services
The mayor, Mzwandile Masina, announced the extension of services to be offered by the Harambee Rapid Bus Transport System, on October 31.
The extension of the services is a practical example of how Ekurhuleni is contributing to the transformation and modernisation of the public transport system within the metro, said Phakamile Mbengashe, acting spokesperson for the mayor.
She said the extension of services includes the following:
• Ten new Harambee buses will be added to the current operational fleet during November. An additional 22 new Harambee buses will be added to the operational fleet from mid-January 2019.
• All buses will cater to passengers with special needs.
• During November, the current service will be extended by the addition of a complementary route that will operate from the terminus at Tembisa Hospital with curbside stops all the way to OR Tambo International Airport (ORT). The route will consist of 28km in one direction – a 56km round trip. Services will commence at 3.45am with a bus leaving Tembisa Hospital to ORT. There will be no services over weekends and public holidays and R13 fare will be charged to use the system.
• A cashless Harambee Europay Mastercard and VISA (EMV) card will be introduced as a reloadable bus ticket. We will be piloting the service during November, thereafter commuters will be given a period to migrate from the current fare collection system.
• Seven new Harambee ticket sales points will now be available at Tembisa Hospital, Rabasotho Hall, Kempton Park Civic Centre, ORT, corner Andrew Mapetho Drive and Dan Nkabande Drive and two branded Harambee mobile kiosks that will move around.
“The metro remains committed to strengthening a healthy working relationship with the Ekurhuleni Taxi Industry (ETI) and KTVR Taxi Associations,” Mbengashe said.
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