The Ekurhuleni ANC Caucus held a media briefing on the 9th of May 2023 at the O.R Tambo Administration building to give clarity on governance matters in the council.
Ald. Jongizizwe Dlabathi, the ANC Caucus Whip with the rest of the Councillors addressed the following:
-COLLABORATIVE GOVERNANCE IN THE CITY
The ANC raised their concerns about how some of the issues are handled in the public domain with the potential of undermining the standing of the municipality as the parties holding the executive responsibilities in the Mayoral Committee do not seem to show appreciation of the available internal means.
‘’All parties part of the collaborative governance arrangement carries the responsibility of preserving the integrity of the institution while addressing service delivery deficiencies, in doing so we must desist from uttering unfounded statements
about the state of the city and its affairs without proper verification of facts, MMC’s must not venture into undermining the functions of others including the interference with the portfolios of their counterparts- the role of Administration VS their role of providing political leadership’’ Ald. Dlabathi said.
Institutional processes, staff, plant, and equipment should not be used to pursue some organisational campaigns for political gains.
‘’We are not in an arrangement of Sub-Mayoral Committee, but a collective Mayoral Committee, there is a remnant of wanting to create a supergroup within the Mayoral Committee, to the extent of wanting to depart from the municipal programme as
tabled by the State of the City Address. We hold a strong view that such a tendency will create incoherence in our approach to the work of local governance,‘’ he assured.
-THE ROLE OF THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR
The MMCs were instructed to not enter into any competition with the Executive Mayor as he was called upon to firmly take charge of his work which includes the conduct of members of the mayoral committee. The ANC believes in collective
leadership and respect for the leadership hierarchy which is why they said to ‘give the executive mayor the benefit of the doubt, for the failure to ensure that the centre is holding on his part will plunge them into a leadership crisis.
The Executive Mayor must take charge, steer and direct the municipal programme as articulated by him during the State of the City Address, which includes amongst others the following priorities:
– Assuring the sustainable provision of basic services
– Building a financially sustainable and resilient City.
– Local economic development initiatives that respond to the efforts of increasing business opportunities, creating jobs, and fighting poverty.
– Land release for human settlement and farming
– Upscaling Community Safety
– Good governance, and
– Private Public Sector Collaboration
Anything outside these priorities must be undermined by the Executive Mayor.
– WASTE DEPARTMENT AND THE FALSE ALLEGATION OF LOST TRUCKS
Sensationalism and factual inaccuracies are detrimental to the image of the City and its administration. The municipality was puzzled by some of the statements made around the Waste Department, in particular, the false narrative that some trucks
might have been stolen.
The following has been confirmed :
1. On the 5th of May 2023, the administration confirmed that 28 Trucks were operational and two new ones were being commissioned for fitment.
2. Because of their intense use, 28 Trucks are undergoing repairs, 10 of which should be back by now, as per the report received from the administration.
3. In February 2023, Council approved Item A-F 16-2023, whereby 53 trucks were recommended for write-off. The list of those trucks is contained in the report with their registration.
4. The administration confirmed that there is no record of any compactor that was stolen, for that matter the City confirmed this with one of the media outlets, upon their Inquiry.
5. It was extremely irresponsible and misleading that 71 trucks were stolen. In his response to the query by Auditor General South Africa, the Group CFO has confirmed that the trucks were not stolen and we can share the formal response.
6. It was also confirmed that the trucks can be physically verified.
“We are clarifying these against statements that had the potential to tarnish the city. The fact around the fleet is readily available and it requires an affected MMC to simply collate the information, analyse and make proper sense”.
– ALLEGATION OF INVOICES NOT PAID:
The MMC responsible for Finance has to appreciate the City by partly sourcing funds through external loans and bonds, and that prospective investors do-follow developments around City and avoid reckless, untested statements around non
payment of invoices and corruption because not only are they irresponsible but also damning the city’s ability to access funding from the market.
– TOWARDS THE IDP, BUDGET, AND RELATED POLICIES:
In the recent Caucus held Lekgotla extensively discussed the Draft IDP, Budget and Related Policies formulated the following as the basis of supporting the Budget Address, which Finance must consider:
1. The budget must be aligned with the 2023 SOCA priorities.
2. Reasonable Integration of Community Priorities as submitted by ANC Ward Councillors across all 78 Wards.
3. Funding of critical energy infrastructure, including adding 3 additional Transformers to cater for Thembisa, Thokoza, and Kwa-Thema.
4. Community mandate of a 75% Debt Write Off [ once Relief given the high cost of living]
5. The implementation of a Focused Development Budget- especially on Roads and Stormwater;
6. All tariffs are to be kept at Consumer Price Index or lower
7. Abolish any related budget policy provision that empowers the cutting of water for Households.
8. Clear Revenue Enhancement Initiative, including attractive incentives for Businesses and prospective investors.
9. Clear processes of enabling Private Sector Investment and the pursuit of strategic Initiatives as pronounced in the State of the City Address.
10. Bringing back the discussion on Free Basic Services.
“ As the ANC in Council, we want to preside over a stable municipality, that is capable, developmental, and sustainable,” Ald. Jongiziziwe concluded.
