Ekurhuleni Mayor Campbell’s address provides an honest and hopeful state of our City

by Cllr. Brandon Pretorius — DA Deputy Chief Whip in Ekurhuleni

Date: 30 March 2022

Release: Immediate

Type: Media statement

Residents of Ekurhuleni can be optimistic about the state of their City following an honest and hopeful address delivered by Executive Mayor, Ald. Tania Campbell, on Wednesday the 30th of March 2022.

In her maiden State of the City Address (SOCA), Mayor Campbell, outlined some of the contextual challenges that the governing Multi-Party Coalition inherited from the previous ANC-led administration, as well as highlighted the plans and priorities the Coalition has in returning the Metro to being more service orientated and responsive to the City’s residents.

Themed the “Back to Basics for Service Delivery and Inclusive Growth”, the address stressed the need for unity in the quest to improving the lives of all residents of the City. Importantly, the address also affirmed a commitment by the Multi-Party Coalition to work towards a service delivery approach that serves all residents, regardless of their ethnic, social and financial background, or geographical location. In addition, it acknowledges that the City had entered a new era of greater accountability and transparency.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni welcomes the SOCA address and the Multi-Party Coalition’s “Back to Basics” approach that acknowledges the urgency of providing critical services. This is occuring against a backdrop of a financially mismanaged Metro under the previous administration, and an ailing economy with record levels of unemployment and meagre economic growth, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions in Eastern Europe.

The City is facing many challenges that range in scale and scope, but affect all residents. The Multi-Party Coalition’s commitment to financial prudence and fiscal discipline is a key strategy in creating a stable base for the City to deliver the services that residents desperately need. Mayor Campbell earmarked the following conditions to achieve this objective, which include:

· Ensuring that the City is of investment-grade status,

· Have between 30 to 90 days cash on hand,

· A collection rate of 95%; and

· Adequate cash reserves to ensure our resilience should climate change risks, pandemic risks or unexpected conflicts arise.

The DA is particularly pleased over the Multi-Party’s emphasis on increasing and promoting investment in the City, with an objective of facilitating at least R50-billion by the end of the term in 2026 through various initiatives. A critical element to promoting this investment involves stabilising the vulnerable electricity grid, which in the recent past has led to a number of power outages, made worse by load shedding and cable theft. Residents can be encouraged by a 40% increase in capital expenditure in electricity infrastructure over the next financial year, and a 12% increase year-on-year thereafter. To counteract the debilitating effects of load shedding, the City will also be reducing its dependency on Eskom through the appointment of 47 Private Power Producers, which will be able to sell electricity to the grid from 2024.

Another point of frustration for residents has been the poor state of our roads — many littered with potholes made worse by the seasonal heavy rains. Recognising the scale of the problem, the Department of Roads and Stormwater patched 29 000 square meters during the first 100 days of administration. While there is a long way to go, residents can be encouraged that as per the recent Adjustment Budget the allocation for road maintenance and repair has been increased. In addition, the Department is actively pursuing private-public partnerships for innovative solutions to help alleviate the problem.

The SOCA serves as an opportunity for the Mayor to take stock of the Metro in which she serves, as well as to outline the priorities within each department that contribute to service delivery across the City. Mayor Campbell as such has delivered an honest assessment of where the City can approve in delivering services, as well as a hopeful and inspiring vision of what the future can look like for residents under the Multi-Party Coalition.

The DA in Ekurhuleni congratulates the Executive Mayor, as well as the governing Multi-Party Coalition, on the progress made to date and looks forward to improved service delivery through the “back to basics” approached.

Cllr. Brandon Pretorius

DA Deputy Chief Whip in Ekurhuleni