New Year, Same Lies — Another Year of Empty Promises from a Government in Decline
By Cllr. Brandon Pretorius — DA Caucus Leader, Ekurhuleni
Note: The following is a speech that was delivered by the DA Caucus Leader, Cllr. Brandon Pretorius, in response to the Executive Mayor’s Speech, during the Ordinary Council Meeting held on the 30 January 2025.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, all protocol observed.
Madam speaker let me take this opportunity to wish members of this house a prosperous New Year, and let us hope that it is a year filled with much needed service delivery which we will only measure as of tomorrow — because to date there has been none.
Honourable Executive Mayor.
It’s January, the start of a new year as mentioned.
Many people start this period off well-intentioned, full of hope of achieving new goals and as the saying goes — “new year, new me”.
While I would like to believe that your Executive has returned with a bounce in their step, however, with the city collapsing around us this is not the case.
New Year’s Day for the City of Ekurhuleni and your Executive seem to be on the first of February.
We are at the end of January Mr. Mayor, yet the city is in a stay-cation mode, specifically staying away from servicing our residents it seems.
Executive Mayor, we often refer to a term in this house specifically when it comes to finances “accounting 1 0 1”.
Executive Mayor I am going to propose a new term to the house today and I want the MMC for Environment to listen carefully “Grass Cutting 1 0 1”.
When it rains, not only does mismanagement pour in the City, but the grass also grows MMC.
The dense grass growth covering our open spaces, parks and informal settlements is a recurring reality within our city.
These spaces Executive Mayor become home to criminals who wish to prey on our young, elderly and women.
The City is directly facilitating and increasing the odds for citizens to become victims of violence.
One would think that the very basic function of cutting grass would receive the attention it deserves, I mean it is not as if it this the first year it has grown.
Never slow to miss a lucrative opportunity masquerading as service delivery — are we Mr. Mayor — grass cutting was once an in-house service that for some unknown reason was diverted to the tender office for the services of a “horticulturalist”.
Nou kyk mev die voorsitter ek verstaan dat daar goed finansieel gebaat word uit kontrakteurs wat aangestel word maar die enigste persone wat baat is die kontrakteurs self.
Ons soek nie kontrakteurs nie wat ons soek is toerusting vir die arbeiders wat aangestel is binne ons parke afdelings.
Hou op werk uitkontrakteur.
Mr. Mayor we need to stop paying contractors for work that needs to be done in-house. How can we justify the existence of staff in our parks department whilst appointing contractors?
Executive Mayor, getting the basics right should be your focus.
Working smart is the hallmark of a successful government, a caring government.
Caring, Madam Speaker, is not something that this Executive can claim to be.
Capital expenditure to date is shockingly only R1.038 billion, or 35.67% of the total capital budget of R2.910 billion.
This is a sorry situation.
But the evidence is glaring. A crumbling city!
What is your legacy going to be Mr. Mayor? Our society finds itself leaderless.
Mr. Mayor have you realized that finding a functional traffic light in the City of Ekurhuleni is like spotting a department that has managed to reach its KPI’s? They are non-existent.
Don’t take my word for it, Mr. Mayor, I am sure that every councillor in this very house will happily furnish you with street names where there are non-functional traffic lights.
Traffic lights are doubled over, sliced and diced with no progressive solution from your Executive.
But at least you have your blue lights to light up the night sky as you speed through the non-operational traffic lights that don’t affect you.
While the drive of the Finance MMC, Ald. Dlabhathi to increase revenue collection must be acknowledged, as it is a far cry from the lack of effort by his predecessor, it is simply not good enough.
The City has 10 day’s cash-on-hand, far, far below the required minimum 25 days as required by regulation.
The City’s outstanding commitments amount to R120 million.
We are outsourcing our duties to contractors, and then we cannot pay them for services rendered.
How has the city gotten things so wrong, Mr Mayor?
Multiple millions are owed to Eskom and Rand water.
Only 70% of the city-wide Service Delivery and Budget Integrated Development Plans (SDBIP) targets were achieved — targets which already started from a very low base, yet performance bonuses were the first on the priority list in December.
Hoe betaal hierdie munisipaliteit prestasie bonusse aan amptenare as die stad lyk soos wat dit lyk. Mev die voorsitter ek raak sinies opgewonde met agressie as ek oor hierdie onderwerp praat.
Madam speaker, not all colleagues in Council may understand what I said — but one thing is clear, and that is that frustration is recognized whether we understand what is being said or not.
This administration is failing!
We have seen how the City’s entities continue to regress — even an entity like ERWAT, which was once a breath of fresh air has now started to stink.
As pointed out by the audit report tabled today, this entity is under strain and is in dire need of a CAPEX injection, yet — like our clinics and other projects under this administration, we will watch a complete collapse of all we have before someone takes this matter to heart.
Similarly, the Ekurhuleni Housing Company (EHC) is in its death throes.
In the words of the Audit Committee “…revenue collection, which is alarmingly low, threatens the financial sustainability of the entity.”
But again, this is nothing new.
Infrastructure, Service Delivery — the inability to hire Divisional Heads and Heads of Department has found the City in the red and wanting.
And it is not just the Democratic Alliance that thinks it.
It is not other parties in Council that think it — it’s our residents who bear the brunt who think and feel it.
Executive Mayor, let me give you another example and highlight this specific area, keep in mind the fact that the issues raised stretches throughout Ekurhuleni affecting all towns.
In my ward, Executive Mayor, there are roads that need to be resurfaced and potholes that need to be fixed.
The materials to do this are not in short supply and hundreds of bags of tar are within the depot but because vehicles belonging to the city have not had their license discs renewed, teams cannot go out and attend to the basics.
Renewing a license disc Mr Mayor?!
This is probably the most basic of functions, give me an affidavit Mr. Mayor and a copy of your ID and I will gladly go and do it.
The inability of this coalition government to do the basics has a cascading effect on all other aspects of service delivery.
Clinics, for example — the touchstone of health and wellbeing for most of our residents have received zero capital investment due to the non-issuing of tenders.
Pathetic is a word that comes to mind.
It beggars’ belief that not only has financial mismanagement had a dire effect on the condition of our clinics, but it has also stripped our people of much needed extended hours on Saturdays.
No, Executive Mayor, this is not a government concerned by the wellbeing of our people.
If this Executive was truly concerned with meeting the demands of a growing population it would work smarter by harnessing the many assets it has at its disposal.
Executive Mayor, last week, Councillor Labuschagne and I visited a vacant warehouse expansion project at the Ekurhuleni Fresh Produce Market which cost the City R69 million.
This project, and many others like it in the city could be sources of direct and indirect revenue for the city.
If they were up and running, the City would be generating revenue — something that is needed to ensure things like clinics can keep their doors open on Saturdays.
Similarly, their functionality would facilitate local economic stimulation — bringing funds into circulation in communities that previously saw little to no economic growth.
Today, at this very council meeting, we celebrate the future of the city and this great country — our matriculants.
Through hard work, dedication and self-sacrifice, they have achieved greatness and as the Democratic Alliance we congratulate each one of them.
But this is just the beginning.
Keep going and remain dedicated.
The same cannot be said for your Executive, Mr. Mayor because while our youth have made sacrifices to pass and achieve, this City is failing them!
Providing students with little to no opportunity to enter the work force.
With youth unemployment hovering around 37% in the City, Mayor Xhakaza, you may be nodding your head thinking that this is a pass — but what it actually does is strips our youth of hopes and dreams.
The City needs to do more to foster economic growth in our region!
But this would require commitment to the cause, to which this Executive is not given, so please Mr Mayor stop routing funds to the SAAME Building.
Executive Mayor,
Around us lies a city in decay.
A decay brought about the indifference of some who have chosen decadence over decency at the expense of those whom they entered public life to serve.
The rot penetrates all of our society and creates disillusionment among our people who are increasingly opting out of the democratic process.
It is through the uncaring attitude of this coalition that the morale of our people wanes.
As I stated at the beginning of my address, most people — while short lived, attempt a “new year, new me” strategy.
The only grain of integrity in this coalition is that there is no illusion that this will be a “new year, same me.”
And while the taps of indulgence are rapidly emptying like our city’s finances, you and your MMCs and your inability to focus on the basics is what will ensure that the taps are completely dry because focusing on the basics doesn’t pay.
Thankfully Local Government Elections are peeping over the horizon like new hope. Residents will soon be afforded an opportunity to elect a government that will work in their best interests.
We just hope that there is something left of this once beautiful, place of peace.
What will your legacy be Mr Mayor?
The only advice I have to offer and in the words of Eminem: “if you had one shot or one opportunity to seize everything you ever wanted would you capture or just let it slip” you are slipping Mr Mayor.
This is the ANC’s last chance.
