‘The needs of our people come first’ – Mayor Mpe
Polokwane Mayor John Mpe emphasised that he will put the needs of the people first during a visit to Seshego last week.
POLOKWANE – Mayor John Mpe says to strengthen service delivery, the municipality needs a new way of working.
He made this remark during a visit to Seshego last week aimed at dealing with service challenges.
Mpe’s visit started on Thursday at the Seshego Purification Plant which is being developed to augment the water supply from Lepelle-Northern Water in an effort to deal with water shortages in the area.
“We want quality projects, good workmanship and professionalism and we encourage our supply chain office to tell us about contractors that deliver quality work. Good work is being done which will benefit the residents of Seshego.”
He advised the energy services team to deal with street light-related challenges promptly.
“If a person reports a faulty street light, it must be repaired right away. We expect people to pay rates so they must live in areas that are safe and have street lights.
“We also need to look at renewable energy for street lights,” he said.
Mpe deployed municipal officials to the Nwako Ramahlodi Indoor Sports Complex on Friday where residents were assisted with various service challenges including queries, indigent support, street lights, electricity and water among others.
An overwhelming response by Seshego residents led to the visit being extended through to Saturday.
“We need a new way of working. We need to be on the ground where our people are, so that their problems and challenges are solved.
“We are not going to cut corners, we must serve our people. We are here to serve, we are available for you, we are here to help you. We are here to work and build Polokwane together.”
Mpe says the municipality has been able to interact with residents which was the goal of the session, while allowing them to immediately tackle the issues on the spot.
“It is not about electioneering, it is about taking service to the people. They usually come to our offices and we decided to come to them and cut whatever costs they would have incurred by coming to us.
“By doing this we are reducing the backlog on these issues. Normally public participation is about taking notes, but this time we decided it would be better if we immediately resolve the issues.”
He says this approach was sparked by his new term in office and this forms part of his interaction with various stakeholders.
Mpe has emphasised that he will be doing things differently while putting the needs of the people first.
