President Ramaphosa to visit Vaal next month for economic investment – ELM Mayor
Mayor Moerane said the management of ELM would also be restructured as it was “too top-heavy” and that capacity to execute its functions was the most important factor
By Craig Kotze
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to attend an investment summit in Emfuleni next month to give major impetus to regional economic investment but also specifically the development of the Vaal River marine economy, according to Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) Executive Mayor Gift Moerane.
Announcing a swathe of new and previously-stalled project approvals in the region valued at almost R25 billion, Mayor Moerane also said R150 million had already been paid to waste water specialists ERWAT to begin cleaning up sewage spillages immediately in Emfuleni.
Mayor Moerane was speaking last Friday at a major event at Stonehaven on Vaal in which the Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC), the Gauteng Provincial Government and ELM convened to discuss municipal challenges and development opportunities.
Almost the entire top structure of the GTCoC attended, including President Stefan Olivier, Vice President Jaco Verwey, CEO Klippies Kritzinger, GTCoC Water and Sanitation spokesperson Rosemary Cloete-Anderson and Olivia Vaughan, GTCoC Chief Operating Officer (COO).
President Ramaphosa is expected to attend the investment summit – focused on the Marine economy of the Vaal – on Heritage Day, September 24 and his presence will focus national attention not only on the Vaal region and river economy as an investment and job creation destination, but also on major local government service bottlenecks.
Mayor Moerane was also emphatic it would “no longer be business as usual at ELM” and that the embattled local authority should already have been out of partial Section 139 administration imposed by Gauteng Province.
He said the management of ELM would also be restructured as it was “too top-heavy” and that capacity to execute its functions was the most important factor.
Friday’s event was convened after the GTCoC piled on pressure on ELM and the Provincial Government to halt new “exorbitant” electricity tariffs but also to suspend two top ELM officials over the smart meter fiasco and alleged irregular appointments.
Mayor Moerane committed ELM to working with business to stimulate investment and development in Emfuleni and acknowledged the local authority could do more to create a business-friendly environment.
Gauteng Province Finance MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said she did not approve of business going to court to halt vastly-increased ELM power tariffs as this was “cutting off your nose to spite your face”. However she said a “new 2019 dialogue” needed to be initiated and sustained with business also on power tariffs as old 1987 preferential power agreements with certain businesses could not be maintained.
Approved developments announced by Mayor Moerane included the Vaal River City project (R11 billion) to uplift the township economy, newly-declared industrial zones in Duncanville, two new SA Breweries factories for glass and lactose production (R11 bn) and a massive project of 80ksquare metres for 10 000 student accommodation beds that would dwarf even the Vaal Mall.
