Eradicating graft my priority, says mayor
Skills audit to ensure Ekurhuleni metro staff qualified for jobs
THE CITY of Ekurhuleni plans to do a security vetting on its employees in the supply chain management division in a bid to root out corruption within the municipality.
The metro will check if the employees have the relevant qualifications for the jobs they occupy and whether they are capable of doing those jobs.
Mayor Mzwandile Masina stated this yesterday during his second council meeting when he outlined his plans for the municipality, after taking over the leadership on August 23 following the municipal elections.
Masina said the reason behind the security vetting was that there was a narrative that says there was corruption, especially in government.
This, however, did not mean that they were pre-empting that the people employed by the city were corrupt and were not supposed to be there, he said.
“The process of vetting is still being defined. These are the people who handle public finances and we need to know who they are,” he added.
“We need to check their backgrounds and see if they have the capacity to do their jobs and if they are qualified enough. We are trying to curb corruption in the people who are at the forefront of supply chain management.”
Masina will also stop city employees from doing business with the metro through tenders awarded by the metro. He said all the employees, regardless of who they are or what job they do, would be made to sign a declaration with the municipality or any other organ of the state never to do business with them.
He said it was because the metro already paid them, and by giving them business, they would be paying them twice. “It will look as if we give business to our own,” he said.
During his first council speech last month, Masina stated his intention to build a power station in Ekurhuleni. He reiterated that again yesterday, saying it was because the power grid was currently under pressure and on the other hand the demand for electricity was growing.
The new power station would ease the pressure on the grid. However, Masina did not say when the new the power station would be operational and how much it would cost to build. “This plan is still in an infant stage. It is a long-term process; it won’t happen now,” he said.
Other plans that Masina has for the city include opening the new Khumalo, Tsietsi and Dukathole clinics, and curtailing overseas trips, catering as well as phone and electricity bills.
He said plans were already in place to fit 800 municipal vehicles with electronic fuel devices to reduce consumption.
Masina also said they would soon be building 722 homes in the Winnie Mandela informal settlement in Tembisa, which meant at least 3 000 people would finally have electricity.