Five-year plan to uplift lives

WEST RAND: IMPROVEMENT IN DELIVERY OF SERVICES

Mayor Maneli’s proposal includes seeking partners in the private sector.

New West Rand district municipality mayor Boyce Maneli has unveiled a five-year plan in an endevour to better the lives of people in the region, which is Gauteng’s food hub.

Basic service delivery improvement, ethical administration and good governance, safe communities, reduced unemployment and economic development are at the top of his list.

“We have gone through an election campaign. In the campaign we presented a manifesto that seeks to address things that we need to improve,” Maneli, who is also ANC chairperson in the region, told The Citizen.

“What we did with the plan was to make sure that all the issues are part of the programme of the council.”

According to Maneli, government alone could not be able to create jobs. Maneli said the district municipality needs to partner with the private sector. .

“Local government alone will not be able to meet the expectations of the people. It has to work with the private sector,” he said.

Maneli said the plan is aligned to the National Development Plan.

The plan also seeks to address skills shortage in the region. Maneli said the plan includes a fight against corruption, code of conduct, prohibition of trade of the state with all councillors, prohibition of price-fixing and bid rigging and implementation of forensic audit recommendation.

However, the adoption of the plan was met with objections from the EFF and DA. EFF councillor Tumelo Molusi recommended the plan be rejected. DA’s Dennis Pretorius echoed the sentiment, saying the plan was not properly served on the council.

The EFF said the plan was not youth driven and would not address unemployment and inequality in the townships.

Maneli retorted that the EFF’s objection was “a rejection out of ignorance” because the plan also deals with making state land available.

“When you say you reject the plan, a revolutionary like the EFF, you can’t stand in front of the same people you were telling that you will expropriate land,” Maneli said. –

Picture: Alaister Russell LAYING IT OUT. Newly-elected mayor of the West Rand Boyce Maneli delivered his five-year plan for the region yesterday, at the West Rand district municipality council sitting in Randfontein.