New MMC aims to reduce Tshwane red tape

Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink announced changes to his mayoral committee following a vacancy after former MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kingsley Wakelin left.

“After consultation with the different members of the City of Tshwane multiparty coalition, I have decided to appoint Dana Wannenburg as the new MMC for Corporate and Shared Services. He will also serve as the MMC for Region 4,” said Brink.

“The sheer size and complexity of the Corporate and Shared Services portfolio with a R3.5-billion budget for the upcoming 2024/25 financial year requires proven experience and dedication.

I have full confidence that Wannenburg will apply his knowledge and experience to succeed in this portfolio.”

Wannenburg has a political career spanning over two decades and brings a wealth of experience and a hands-on approach to his positions.

First elected in 2000, Wannenburg has held various positions, including MMC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs from 2019 to 2021, and recently chairperson of Section 79 for elections.

“Over the years, I have seen a lot. I have seen changes from where we started in 2000 to where we are now,” Wannenburg told Rekord.

“Politics has changed a lot over that time, and I think experience is one of the big things that I can bring to the table.”

Wannenburg prides himself on the relationships he has built over the years and wants to bring his wealth of connections to the table.

He describes himself as a plain person who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty and says that he is committed to serving with passion, loyalty, and commitment.

Wannenburg said the Corporate and Shared Services portfolio was important to the overall functioning of the city.

“As the mayor said, this Corporate and Shared Services is the heart of our whole organisation. I am not here to change a lot, but I want to add value to what we have with my experience,” he said.

Wannenburg said that his focus will be on fast-tracking processes and reducing red tape that hinders development and other projects.

He enters his new position with a budgeted R3.5-billion, announced in May by Wakelin, to streamline policies and procedures.

“For years now, people have a way of working, and we must tell them how they must work. Policy and procedure are the same; if you write it well, then you know that this is what we must do and this is how fast we must do it,” he said.

He plans to introduce guidelines to ensure staff efficiency and better service delivery.

Improving communication between the city and its residents is a top priority for Wannenburg.

He advised residents to actively engage with their ward councillors and join local WhatsApp groups to stay informed.

“Your councillor is the connection between the resident and the city, to get feedback and ensure that services are delivered in the wards,” he said.

Wannenburg said that this could help residents hold their councillors accountable.

He said that his office was looking at a new communications, marketing, and events policy, which is in the final stages of formulation to strengthen communication channels.

“It is a very in-depth policy that this office has been working on that will strengthen communication with residents,” Wannenburg said.

As the MMC for Region 4, Wannenburg is tasked with overseeing significant developments and addressing local issues such as the Centurion Lake, Hennops River, and Sunderland Ridge Waste Water Treatment Works.

He aims to drive economic growth and investment in the region.

“The economic growth has always been a concern [in the region].

“It was a big economic hub in the past. If you look at old pictures of what the lake looked like, people still want that to come back,” he said.

He said that he sees his role as bringing some of the guidance to Region 4.

“Some councillors have an idea of what needs to happen in their ward, but the neighbouring councillor has the same problem.

Bringing these things together, and getting the buy-in of the residents is important to tackling the larger issues.”

Sinkholes present a significant challenge in Centurion, which has over 50, affecting both infrastructure and economic development.

Wannenburg said he plans to engage with provincial and national governments for grants to address this issue.

“The sinkholes on our sections or our properties that are a Tshwane problem, I think will stay a problem for long until we work out a budget.

I don’t think there is an easy straight answer that I can give on that. The budget is low, so we need to fix and do what we can,” he said.

“We need investment. So the MMC is also to oversee that whole role, to bring the things together.”

Wannenburg said residents’ buy-in would help the economic development of the region.

“We have the Adopt-a-street-light drive for when we have load-shedding again, and we will have load-shedding one day, to get businesses to start adopting streetlights with their generators if it is close to the control boxes.”

He said that projects such as the Community Upliftment Presincts would help residents get involved in growing the city.

“In Sunderland Ridge, for example, we sit with large factory owners that could have a great say… an input into the whole area.”

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram