City mayor stands resolute
EXCLUSIVE: City Mayor speaks out about calls for him to step down.
UMHLATHUZE City Mayor Elphas Mbatha says calls for his resignation come at a time when he is ‘showing political maturity and leadership’ at the local municipality.
The ANC mayor, who has faced a barrage of insults from the ANC Youth League and the Economic Freedom Fighters, including calls for him to step down, remains resilient in his stance that ‘the municipality is in safe hands’.
Asked whether the resignation demands were linked to political shenanigans in the run-up to the ANC Conference and the local government elections, Mbatha did not rule out that possibility.
‘I can categorically state that this has nothing to do with service delivery.
‘I am not surprised by the calls. I have been in politics since the unbanning of the ANC and am aware of people wanting positions.
‘I will be happy to leave before the end of my term and leave with credibility instead of being quiet when people are crying for services,’ said Mbatha.
In an exclusive interview with the Zululand Observer on Friday, the mayor said the ANC Youth League should have channeled their concerns via the ANC structure in the region instead of going to the media.
‘The Auditor General has maintained that to achieve a clean audit, the municipality must show strong political leadership. Council plays an oversight role.
‘We had had High Court orders against the municipality where contractors were nullified and this ruling was disregarded.
‘When there is an appeal, it could delay the process by a year and we are not able to deliver services to residents.
‘This is at the centre of the City’s under-spending,’ Mbatha said.
Discontent
He said the discontent by residents about services could overrun government and had to be ‘taken seriously’.
‘To stop the bad news, we must do the work properly and fight crime and corruption.
Anyone involved in tender corruption must resign or face the law.’
Despite its challenges, Mbatha said the municipality was able to deliver services to scores of rural residents.
‘We have built more than 1 000 houses for the people of KwaMkhwanazi, Madlebe and KwaBhejane.
‘We are nearing 1 000 homes at KwaDube and eNseleni has now come on board.’
With half of the City’s population residing in the eSikhaleni/university corridor, Mbatha said the City had installed water meters to reduce leaks and replaced pipes to ensure an uninterrupted water supply to the area.
‘We have connected hundreds of households to water, electricity and sanitation. We are currently constructing a new power station in eSikhaleni.
‘We are addressing issues communities are raising. We have capable hands to do the job.’
You keep up the good work at the moment, it is a pleasure to visit Richardsbay. It’s looking good and civilised. Keep it that way. By the way you do need to prioritise on the health of all Richardsbay residents. When they get ill or injured they’re refured to other hospitals because people from outside flock in droves.