Progress made in 100 days
THE political changes in Nelson Mandela Bay have undoubtedly given birth to a renewed sense of hope and commitment on the part of metro residents, as the new leadership’s first 100 days in office have evidently showcased their capabilities in dealing with the mammoth task of resuscitating our ailing metro.
As the DA-led coalition government, we have made significant strides in many ways since ascending to power three months ago. In that period, we have also made inroads in achieving many of the promises this government made when it became the new leadership – a historical victory by all accounts.
At the outset, we have inculcated a new culture of clean governance and accountability, anchored on implementing an all-inclusive developmental agenda for Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and its residents, through a capable and competent corps of municipal staff. We have placed service delivery at the forefront of our agenda to bring about change, stop corruption and create much-needed jobs.
We have no illusions about the challenges that lie ahead, but we have strengthened our resolve to rid this city of incompetence, corruption, poor service delivery and unemployment through hard work and inclusivity.
Nelson Mandela Bay owes its unique identity to one of the most celebrated political icons, the late former president, Nelson Mandela. This city’s reputation is balanced on the shoulders of an iconic leader, a protagonist of reconciliation and change.
As such, we continue to draw inspiration from his principled leadership qualities as we rebuild this city. The legacy of our governance will be judged by the efforts we put into creating a city that is founded on the principles of freedom, fairness and opportunity for all.
We know that redressing the past will take a Herculean effort from this new administration.
Essentially, we are not a government that is consumed by a sense of self-importance, political short-sightedness and arrogant leadership. We are not concerned with burying our snouts in the trough while the majority of our citizens live in abject poverty in communities where service delivery, the government’s key output, is non-existent.
In our first 100 days in office, we made a commitment to stop corruption. This was realised with the launch of an anti-corruption hotline, which has already resulted in 38 internal investigations.
Recent suspensions and dismissals of numerous senior municipal officials, without any golden handshakes, speaks volumes of our determination to be a responsible and accountable government which promotes consequence management.
The lack of planning and short-sightedness of the previous administration is principally to blame for the continued loss of potable water due to decrepit infrastructure which needs urgent replacement. However, we are proud of the extent of our work in repairing more than 2 500 water leaks in Uitenhage, Despatch and KwaNobuhle alone.
There are many other achievements that we are proud of in our first 100 days in office that are a sign of more positive changes to come. A lot of work has also been carried out across the metro, such as regular maintenance of traffic lights, road markings, street lights and roadways.
This has taken us a mere three months, something the previous administration failed to do adequately in the past. We have also created work in various departments.
For instance, our promise was initially to employ 192 EPWP workers to assist with the clearing of stormwater drains and open ditches. We surpassed that figure as we currently have in excess of 300 EPWP workers who have since been employed to do this work.
There are also many hundreds more employed in the public health department to clear our city’s streets and illegal dumping sites.
Major work has also been completed on 13 major roads and a further four roads are currently under construction.
The long-awaited IPTS bus system will soon resume operating as we have secured a budget of R629-million between now and the 2018-19 financial year. Another notable achievement has been the saving of R200-million, which far exceeded our initial target of R100-million.
This is money that will be set aside to improve service delivery, maintain infrastructure and grow our economy through job creation.
The Red Location Museum, a well-known tourism magnet for the city, stands idle in a chaotic state due to unresolved political and social issues that have become intractable. We are committed to addressing those that are within our purview, with a view to opening this important landmark for the benefit of all the citizens of this city.
This new administration is confident that we will bring the kind of changes to this city that will make it prosperous and that it will never ever be the same again. We will use every day of the remaining five years to achieve these.