Read the mayor’s speech here: “We have no excuse but to deliver” – mayor
The first item in the current council papers deals with assessment of the municipality’s annual performance in the current financial year against the performance of the SDIP for the same period. It concludes that 74 of the key performance indicators out of 103 were achieved across a number of themes and clusters – all dutifully listed.
Now, this requires some scrutiny and perspective because the real story behind the mayor’s whitewash – is altogether different. So, let’s examine, for a moment, some telling examples that will reveal a continuum, spanning previous ANC administrations and the current one, of real key performance indicators that aren’t coloured by the mumbo jumbo of admin speak and the most flawed swot analysis I have ever seen– and that speaks instead to the unmet needs and expectations of our constituents – the very people we serve.
Let’s start with Sustainable Urban Integration, City planning and real estate,
Council announced in 2010 the creation of an online system for city planning – almost six years later this is still incomplete – which means that there is still no transparency. Some applications are fast tracked – dependent on vested interests, but despite the community, builders, planners and the like clamouring for implementation, nothing has been done. And if anything has, can we please be told?
Then let’s take a look at the Outdoor Advertising Department, the plethora of illegal erections, from penis extension posters to the billboard at Gillooly’s farm has grown unabated. Had council filled the vacancies in-line with the institutional review that validated six posts for inspectors, we might have had some traction in this regard. Perhaps we’ll be told why these posts have not been filled?
With regard to Job Creation and Economic Growth,
The mayor has made speeches to the business community, promising to tackle economic ills. The question is, what plans other than promises are in place? Our councillors too, attend meetings with the business community and they tell us that they are concerned about the absence of tangible and sustainable assistance that was promised to people in our townships. They are concerned about skills development. If anything has been done other than promises made, perhaps we’ll be told? All we know is that 683 000 jobs have been lost in the past five years and that this number is growing – not declining.
With regard to Community safety,
It might do for the mayor to apply his mind to the issue of Illegal Mining and the effect on our communities. Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality Police Chief, Bafana Mahlabe – the same one who approved overtime for nine security officials at an additional 84 hours per month to guard his private home – promised to address Zama Zama’s as a matter of the highest priority. But our councillors’ numerous communications continue to receive no response.
Recently, the mayor has expressed outrage at the abduction, rape and murder of an 18-year-old woman whose body was thrown down a mine shaft. We share his outrage – our councillor, Ashley Hoods was part of the group searching for the woman on Sunday and Monday. Since then, the community has responded by taking vigilante action against illegal miners, which resulted in the wounding of two people, by gunshot. Will the mayor outline his plans to deal with Mahlabe’s highly touted prioritisation – made way back in 2015?
Now let’s turn to the EMPD,
It has come to our attention that the same Bafana Mahlabe, head of the EMPD, is being sent to Tshwane to complete an 18-month course so that he can avail himself of the relevant qualifications – a metro police diploma – to do the job he currently holds.
This begs the following questions: how do you hire a patently unqualified person for a top job; and while you send him to school after hiring him without the relevant qualifications, who will do his job and why was he hired if another is more qualified to fulfil the role in his absence; and under what system of HR and municipal governance or madness was this signed off? The mayor had better formulate a cogent answer hereto – or the consequences will be dire – of that I assure you, Madam Speaker. Know this, we are in possession of the documentation.
On the subject of Human Settlements,
We call on the Metro to open up the housing list in Ekurhuleni to public scrutiny. This, after community members of Tsakane Ext 10 informal settlement recently found themselves being shot at by the Red Ants over housing issues in Tsakane Ext 22. Members of this community marched to the housing office after allegations arose that the Red Ants were allocating RDP houses. Once there, the community was fired at with live ammunition by the Red Ants, injuring several protesters.
This incident again highlights the gross incompetence of the metro that seems interested in only looking after the interests of a select few. What, if anything does the mayor have to say here?
With regard to environmental wellbeing, waste management, water and sanitation,
Let’s simply focus on the turnaround time for water leaks in this time of chronic drought. Water leaks are currently enjoying, if that’s the right word, a turnaround time of 14 days. Council initiated a programme called War on Leaks some time ago – and perhaps someone will brief the mayor on this. It has taken three years to spend R10m from Rand Water and the programme is dogged by poor workmanship and contractual issues. I smell a water rat here. Little wonder we lose over a third of our water in unaccounted for leaks. Is there even a plan here? If so, please tell us?
This metro lost R 735m in unmetered water revenue due to technical (read: poor maintenance) and non-technical (read: theft) in the last financial year. I do not see anywhere any itemised measures in place to ensure that compliance with the 15% demand reduction proposed. This is simply pushing the accountability and responsibility onto the residents. The penalties on page 9 items 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 will put most people in the street and close down companies. And who is going to ensure fair and even handed implementation of the policing requirements. Could the mayor enlighten us?
With regard to Effective Cooperative Governance,
The Ombudsman by-law was passed in January this year and was required, accordingly, to be published in the Government gazette – it has still not been published and reflects yet another area where the City Manager has failed to do his job. Would it be possible for us to know when this will be gazetted?
And while we’re on the subject of the absence of progress reports, might we request the long awaited progress report on the Aerotropolis, the IRTPN and the BRT – all are still outstanding. And then there’s the little matter of the Brakpan Bus Company that is still trading under insolvent circumstances. It is hardly a going concern and owes our metro R14m for diesel. Perhaps the mayor will revert on these as well?
With regard to Infrastructural matters,
Allow me to hone in on the quality and functioning of the metro’s Centre. We have monitored complaints – the Call Centre phone rarely gets answered; no phone line is available to assist residents after hours for wrongful disconnections; Call Centre staff are unfriendly and generally provide incorrect information; calls are incorrectly logged and information incorrectly allocated to the wrong departments; the delay between residents logging emergency calls and emergency services arriving is invariably considerable, and as previously stated, the on-line APP is not working.
This is the legacy of one inept ANC council to another and perhaps Mr Zupta’s new mayor will tell us what he plans to do about it? I must say, though, that I’m not holding my breath.
On the subject of Health, the mayor has been particularly and shamefully silent on the grave matter concerning the deaths of 36 mental health patients – as a direct result of his provincial MEC for Health’s criminal negligence. The death of 36 patients in a period of four months is a matter of public interest that requires a greater level of transparency and accountability.
Those found negligent should be held to account. Does he know how many people in Ekurhuleni were affected? Deaths were reported at the Takalani institution – one of which is situated in Daveyton. Perhaps he’ll let us know, and tell us what he plans to do about it?
In the realm of Finance, might I point the executive mayor to the patent lack of will and capacity to collect outstanding debt? As a result, for example, in Windmill Park, people now owe more for service payments than their houses are worth. Debt has been allowed to escalate to absurd levels and no measures are in place for cut-offs – all that happens is that charges are levied, collections are not made or effected and as a result others pay more. Perhaps the mayor will investigate and report on this too?
Frankly, Madam Speaker, the executive mayor’s silence on these and other matters – in the first third of his first hundred days – is baffling. More so, it is irresponsible. But perhaps his focus is on the lucrative end of the equation and not on delivery to the people of Ekurhuleni. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
But to be fair, mayor Masina has been vocal on the issue of corruption. He says it is high on South Africa’s agenda and “we should all be concerned”.
I assure you – we all are!
Speaking at a press briefing mayor Masina said he wants an independent institution to be made available, should any corruption issues arise. And he is apparently getting legal advice on the nature and form of that commissioner.
Well I hope he or she holds the requisite qualifications and moral sense of purpose for the job. We wait with bated breath.
Perhaps, Madam speaker, the mayor would be interested in a report from the South African Local Government Association and the Financial and Fiscal Commission released in Cape Town last Wednesday, which says municipalities face unprecedented challenges in getting their expenses under control.
The report states municipalities (and ANC ones, in the main) are being burdened by huge administrative bills, which are rapidly outstripping the cost of delivering services to residents – to what it describes as an unhealthy extent.
Perhaps the implications of this report will be factored into future measures that cut expenses, increase efficiency and deal with graft.
But whilst we are on the subject of corruption, let me remind the mayor of the documented obstruction of the public protector’s investigation into unlawful expenditure.
Let me remind the mayor, through you, Madam Speaker, of irregular expenditure to the value of an estimated amount of at least R15-billion of public money caused by the erstwhile City Manager’s conduct in managing the financial affairs of the municipality negligently – matters that have seemingly stalled in the Municipal Public Accounts Committee.
No wonder the former City Manager, Khaya Ngema resigned. But let me remind the mayor that resignation doesn’t absolve anyone of the retrospective reach of the law and perhaps he knows this applies to him as well.
Let me further remind the mayor that we have instituted criminal investigations against those who misled a presidential investigation with false financial disclosures – thereby, impeding the investigation into the corrupt deeds of Ngema in relation to the 283 irregularly awarded tenders and R7.2 billion irregularly-expended public funds.
And let us note in this context that (as per Item 49) Fruitless, irregular and wasteful expenditure is up by R 86.6m -that’s 13.2 per cent. The trajectory is relentless.
You see Mr Mayor, while you grandstanding about pipe dreams like your stated intent to build a hundred thousand new houses – in contrast to your predecessors fifteen thousand houses built over a five year period; while you trumpet the creation – beyond your remit – of a university for Ekurhuleni without having done an iota of study into the needs, costs, viability, alternatives and implications of such a foray – there are many, many unanswered questions, matched only by an equal – if not greater – raft of meaningless promises.
Remember Mr Mayor, your publicly stated commitment to electrify all 190 informal settlements in Ekurhuleni over the next five years. Well, residents recently marched on the home of one of our councillors, demanding fulfilment on this promise. He redirected them to your address. Expect a call, won’t you?
And while you scramble to deliver on false promises, while you deepen the furrows of corruption and graft in the metro – at the behest of your Zupta masters – may I suggest, in your quest to obfuscate with smoke and mirrors, exemplified by your stated commitment to rename pothole ridden and hopelessly congested streets and major roads after struggle stalwarts, that you start by naming one after Amina and Yusuf Cachalia who gave birth to your nemesis.
I thank you, Madam Speaker.
