Tshwane mayor has no plans for office ‘shake-up’

Newly elected Tshwane mayor Dr Murunwa Makwarela has assured his staff that he does not have plans for a major office “shake-up”.

During a staff meeting on Monday, he emphasised that the gathering was to encourage the City’s workers to continue performing their duties, serve Tshwane residents and not get distracted by ongoing political developments.

Encourage workers

“Part of my meeting with the staff was to reiterate the commitments I made in my acceptance speech after my election as Executive Mayor on 28 February 2023. I want to return good governance to the capital city, as we owe it to Tshwane residents who are desperate for quality and effective service delivery.”

READ MORE: Cope’s Dr Murunwa Makwarela elected City of Tshwane mayor

Report scandal

“The recent adverse auditor-general report compels us to move with speed and prioritise the needs of the people of Tshwane. So, we need to be a professional team that works together and not play politics in the office. I want to create a strong culture of excellence and high performance in the City of Tshwane.”

In January, the City said it had taken note of a reported issued by the auditor-general which flagged it for “serious irregularities” and failing to submit the correct financial statements for the July 2021 to June 2022 financial year.

The leaked 28-page report found the city’s finances were seriously irregular, while officials and councillors benefitted from flawed procurement processes and irregularities.

NOW READ: Auditor-general flags ‘serious irregularities’ in City of Tshwane’s finances

Makwarela also added that he intended to meet with the top management of the City to discuss plans to improve service delivery.

“Organised labour is also on my list of stakeholders with whom I will soon engage.

“Regarding the appointment of the mayoral committee, I have been busy doing thorough consultations with our political partners. We are at the final stages of this process and we will soon announce a strong team that will restore service delivery in Tshwane,” said Makwarela.

New speaker

A new speaker in the City of Tshwane could not be elected after the metro’s council sitting failed to reach a quorum.

Tshwane city manager Johann Mettler, who was presiding over the meeting, resolved to adjourn the council sitting on Monday.

“There is still no quorum in this meeting so I, therefore, postpone this meeting,” Mettler said.

*Additional reporting by Molefe Seeletsa and Faizel Patel

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