People, and greater good

There is possibly no task in South Africa more challenging. From now on, you are on the steepest learning curve of your life. Embrace it as an adventure.

There is no higher honour and responsibility than serving your community and ushering in a better life for all.

Your job is not only to make sure that all the physical infrastructure is in place and working, but also to think about peoples’ hearts and minds.

Always aim to build strong communities, where responsibilities for making life work are shared by all the residents.

You will find that things that should be simple, are in fact, very complex. Local government is a highly regulated environment, surrounded by good intentions to ensure accountability.

Take time to study all the policies and laws to know what fits where.

Your task is to find solutions to everything. You cannot be a complainer because now you have to provide all the answers. If the answers are disappointing, trust that the truth is always the best policy.

Keeping communication channels open at all times is the greatest secret to successful local government.

Never lose sight of the needs of the community and do not get distracted by competing demands on scarce resources. Keep focused on the larger good of all.

JulieWellsistheformer ChiefWhipoftheANCin MakanaCouncil.