Appolo wants to stop workplace dating
NHLANGANO – Minister of Housing and Urban Development Appolo Maphalala says towns will not grow if some public servants are not ready to serve the public.
The minister was speaking during his tour of the Nhlangano Town Council yesterday. He said when serving the people, one needed to be matured. He said for them to work effectively, they were supposed to stop love relationships at work, because they compromised integrity.
Maphalala said this was prevalent among the young professionals, adding that, it then limited supervision, such as making people accountable. He said this affected professionalism and service delivery.
The minister said in local government, it was important to serve the people, hence both the councillors and the executive were supposed to be professional.
Such professionalism, he said, came with respect for the office and other employees.
“I cannot take councillors that are engrossed in serious controversies to the prime minister and expect to be heard on the things we want as towns,” he said.
Minister Maphalala said towns were known for high rates and unattended potholes.
He challenged the towns to change that narrative. He stated that they were supposed to attract businesses and tourists so that the town’s economy could grow.
He challenged the local government authorities to do things differently and break the norm, that their responsibility was to collect rates.
According to the minister, the local government had a serious responsibility to ensure that the towns developed. He stated that, attracting development partners meant that they had to have clean slates. This, he said, was because the partners would conduct research on the towns and the councils first before considering to invest.
Maphalala encouraged the staff of Nhlangano Town Council, in particular the councillors and the administration, to remove their hands from the ‘cookie jar’ (council finances).
By doing so, he said they would maintain clean reputations. He said in the event they made a mistake, with good intentions, it would be forgivable.
“There are some mistakes which are made intentionally, such as taking people’s land and selling it. The people will later claim it and you will be exposed, hence that will ruin the image of the town to investors,” he said. Maphalala said such was letting down the whole local government sector.
Relationships
He further advised them not to work in silos, but foster good relationships with other government stakeholders.
The minister then emphasised that the council was supposed to address the four key points that were highlighted at Sibaya People’s Parliament, which included corruption, service delivery, unemployment as well as the fight against poverty.
Principal Secretary Simon Zwane, on the other hand, shared that Nhlangano town had the potential of finding a health facility investor, who would even attract South Africans. He said by so doing, they would then seek other services in town and boost the town’s economy.
On the other hand, Nhlangano Town Council Chief Executive Officer Babsy Mavuso shared the town’s achievements, plans and challenges with the minister.
One of the achievements, he said, was the installation of 25 solar street lights along Mshengu Street. He stated that they also successfully removed the signage of businesses and used one system that would be able to manage the signage, in the event the businesses with signage left town.
He stated that part of their plans included the installation of CCTV cameras in town, as well as two high mast lights in two townships (Ward 1 and Ward 6) to improve public safety and security. Mavuso said they were also looking into rehabilitating Skonkwane Street, to provide accessible and sustainable walkways.
“It is also part of our plans to construct a 1.5km road at Mcalpine to provide accessible and sustainable roads,” he said.
Mavuso highlighted the challenges the town faced and said these included the lack of available land for potential development. As such, the CEO shared that they were engaging the Ministry of Health to relocate their regional health offices close to the health centre.
Also, Mavuso said there was a question on whether Mathendele township fell under a chiefdom or the urban area.
He said there was a case in court addressing the matter.