De Lille aims to bring ‘greater parity in service delivery to all Capetonians’

In a bid to reverse the legacy of apartheid spatial planning, modernise government, improve service delivery and become more customer-centric, the City of Cape Town is implementing an Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP) in terms of the legislation.

This is according to a statement posted on City of Cape Town executive mayor Patricia De Lille’s Facebook page on Monday.

In the statement by De Lille, the aim of the ODTP is described as bringing greater parity in service delivery to all Capetonians.

De Lille said she would be the first to admit that “a lot more” needed to be done to improve the living conditions of the poor as well as to “redress the imbalances of the past”.

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“During the previous term, we implemented a number of changes, such as adopting a transversal management approach to break down silos and ensure greater collaboration between departments. We changed the methodology of planning and the performance management system, and this prepared us for a much bigger project of achieving systemic change, the ODTP, which consolidates all of the changes into one plan,” she said.

She reminded community members how last year she had pledged to modernise government and said the ODTP was a legislative requirement and would be incorporated into the Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

“The formulation of the ODTP has been an extensive process, with careful consideration and widespread consultation, with all stakeholders and with the unions as partners in the process,” said De Lille, adding that on August 24 last year, Council adopted the plan.

“One of the key changes that the ODTP has brought about is a service delivery focus in order to bring about even greater parity of services for everyone in the city,” she said.

“The Area-based Service Delivery Directorate is responsible for transversal management to ensure that all services in all 10 departments in the City are operational, functional and measurable in line with the five strategic pillars within the demarcated geographical areas.”

The area-based service delivery includes transport and urban development, finance and safety and security among other services.

She added that the four area-based mayoral committee members (MMCs) would be the “faces of the caring city”.

“This will be achieved through decentralising service delivery in four services areas where coordination and integration of services takes place,” said De Lille.

The mayoral committee members were appointed as of January 1.

“I must also emphasise that in terms of legislation, the role and functions of MMCs are not the same as ministers or MECs. All MMCs are equal and are there to assist and advise me as the executive mayor in terms of their various responsibilities.”

De Lille outlined the MMCs responsible for portfolios and the four area-based mayoral committee members. She said all MMCs would have a community liaison officer”to strengthen community engagement”.

“Before rolling out new services or starting any project, the community liaison officer will be responsible for consultation with the beneficiary community. They will set up meetings and do in-depth briefings with the community’s elected leaders,” said De Lille.

“We are doing this so that communities can be better informed about the plans for their area and to avoid unnecessary community conflict that could hinder the delivery of services and projects.”

She wished the new appointments well in their portfolios.

Read the full statement here:

– Caxton News Service

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