POLOKWANE – Mayor Thembi Nkadimeng has had a few hectic weeks since she sat down in the hot seat as mayor of the City of Stars.
She has plans to initiate public-private partnerships (PPP) to address the most pressing challenges the city faces, such as the aging infrastructure which causes the municipality to lose more revenue from water pipe bursts than it pays to provide the service to the city. Where water pipe bursts averaged 10 a day not long ago, it has increased even more. Another issue that needs urgent attention, and she would like to see addressed through PPPs, is the sewage infrastructure.
“We will be trying to get suitable business partners with the assistance of the national treasury and the premier’s office. Treasury has experience with these types of partnerships, as we will not be the first municipality to be going this way. It will definitely bring relief for our cash-strapped municipality. Transitional advisors have already been appointed to facilitate the process.”
The process of supplying bulk water to the city is another urgent matter receiving attention. The demand far outstrips the supply of water and areas such as Perskebult and Moletjie are sometimes left without a supply of water. The request for an additional pipeline from either Ebenezer plant (a project which would take a year to finish at R223 million) or the Olifantspoort plant (a project that would take 42 months and cost R1,2 billion) to increase bulk water supply to the city is receiving priority attention in discussions with the department of water affairs and the premier’s office,” she says.
“Energy provision in the form of electricity is also causing problems, as new developments, business and residential, cannot be provided for. The moratorium on development is still in place and will remain for some time. For now we cannot allow more developments to mushroom,” she adds.
She said the city could not develop further if there was not enough water or electricity. “The growth of the city and villages has caused problems. Eskom does not have the funding to keep up with major upgrades that are necessary, for instance, for Mankweng. Smart metering, which the city plans to start rolling out early next year, will also alleviate problems with billing. The final relocating of residents away from Disteneng to Extension 78 is also planned to take place soon. Thembi visited the area during the last week. Problems with illegal occupants at Extension 78 need to be addressed first before the relocation can take place, she says.
Other issues to be given priority attention to are illegal land use and the relocating of hawkers away from busy sidewalks to a place where they can conduct their business in an orderly way, such as the African Market. “Orderliness and cleanliness are not negotiable. In Kenya they have a model where hawkers are situated at a hawkers’ market and it works well. Parking issues are also being reconsidered,” she says.
Regarding the recent service delivery protests in Mankweng, she said a task team had been established and an action list would be drawn up, with the task team reporting back regularly.
The planned cycle event to rival the Cape Argus is going ahead and will take place next year in April or May, combined with the mayoral marathon. “Just don’t ask me to cycle, please!” she exclaims.
