New leadership must clean up and deliver

CONGRATULATIONS to the incoming eThekwini and Msunduzi’s new executive leadership.

I hope and pray that they’ll receive the necessary support and co-operation from all political parties, not just by acceptance of each other but by improved teamwork.

The political infighting has caused untold damage to local service delivery and now it’s time to clean up the system and deliver.

Similarly, now is the time to listen to the citizens about their service-delivery problems, and start delivering results on the ground.

With the new leadership in, the days for excuses, promises and rescheduling of basic service delivery needs should be a thing of the past. Citizens urgently want to see better quality service delivery, a clean-up of their city and real growth and development.

To citizens, positions, photo-shoots and speeches don’t matter – services and effective management of the city is what matters most.

To earn confidence and trust in the new leadership, city councillors must work closely with their respective mayors and the community to deliver quality services. God willing, if this partnership happens, I’m convinced South Africa’s young democracy will see progress and nation-building will accelerate.

Together with honesty, accountability, transparency, rule of law and implementation of strategies and policies, local leaders, must at all times connect with constituents.

Nation-building begins with local government.

MOHAMED SAEED | PIETERMARITZBURG