Ekurhuleni’s executive mayor Clr Mzwandile Masina delivered his State of the City Address at the Germiston Council Chambers on Wednesday.
This year’s SOCA was under the theme ‘two decades of service delivery and building a local economy that grows in the hands of the people’.
The mayor reflected on what the city has achieved in the past 20 years and shared his plans for the year ahead.
He also shared his dreams for the city.
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He said Ekurhuleni is a polycentric city which requires innovative space developmental strategies and governance structures of a special type in order to meet the circumstances of a rigorous transformation of the physical structure and spatial patterns.
Masina said since his term, they have been guided by the mandate of the people.
“Our people mandated us to provide them with decent housing, proper access roads and quality services. They asked us to tackle corruption and expand health-care services, among others.
“The people further appealed to us to, among other things, ensure that we make informal settlements more liveable so that we restore human dignity.
“We heard this mandate and came up with a pro poor programme aimed at fast-tracking and sustaining service delivery,” said Masina.
The following stood out in his speech:
• Since the beginning of this term of office, a number of informal settlements were added to the electrification programme and by June this year, a total of 22 000 homes will be connected bringing the total number of households connected to the grid since the year 2000 to 93 000.
• In a quest to minimise the threat to people becoming victims of crime, they have rolled out 3 646 streetlights across the city and 295 high mast lighting, mainly in previously disadvantaged areas and new establishments.
• In the new financial year, they will finalise the implementation of the city’s programme to purchase electricity from the appointed power producers.
A total of 46 companies have already been awarded a tender to generate additional energy for the city.
• The Aqua Leap Programme, which aims to address the security of water supply, is on track.
The city has embarked on a programme to construct 29 reservoirs and towers simultaneously, this to the tune of R1.2-billion.
One of these will be the biggest on the continent and among the biggest in the world.
It will be commissioned by the end of June 2020.
• In response to the waste collection challenge a new five-year waste collection contract will soon be advertised with new improved features aimed at increasing efficiency.
The contract will cover eight broad areas and is aimed at improving the metro’s services.
• They will continue to provide innovative ways for health care.
They have recently introduced 11 Pele boxes at different clinics, over and above the 115 chronic medication pick-up points.
The Pele Box Smart Locker Facility is the first and only one of its kind in Africa.
Among the clinics that already have operational facilities in the city are Germiston, Winnie Mandela, Phola Park, Phillip Moyo and Daveyton Main Clinic.
They are in the process of launching additional five Pele Box facilities at J Dumane, eSangweni, eThafeni and Tsakane.
• The city has secured, through a donation a 43-hectare piece of land from a private developer in the Germiston/Boksburg area, to locate the university.
• The mayor also shared his dreams for the city, namely Disney Africa, Formula One racing and a convention centre.
The mayor said the city has come a long way since its birth.
“Despite the many hardships we may have come across it gives me great pleasure to share some of the key highlights of the past 20 years,” he said.
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The achievements are:
• The former Johannesburg International Airport was renamed OR Tambo International Airport.
• Established a single city identity.
• Conferred the Freedom of the City to OR and Adelaide Tambo and Chris Hani.
• Establishment of the EMPD and training academy.
• Introduced the Integrated Public Transport Network system.
• Unified the town planning scheme.
• Twenty customer care centres rolled out and actioned throughout the city.
• Migrated from the provision of houses to the establishment of human settlements.
• Increased the bursary package from R10-million to R100-m.
• Consolidated the labour relations policy.
• Chris Hani’s house purchased with the intent to convert it into a museum.
• Sam Ntuli, Chris Hani and Oliver Tambo’s graves declared national heritage sites, among others.
• Introduced the anti-fraud hotline.
• Introduced My Ekurhuleni service delivery app.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist) busiv@caxton.co.za.
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