Brink to take stock of service delivery in City
TSHWANE Mayor Cilliers Brink is expected to use his second State of the Capital Address (Soca) today to take stock of service delivery objectives achieved under his watch since he assumed office in March last year.
He pointed out this week that he would outline plans to improve and build on the work that had already been done.
Brink took the reins from his predecessor, Randall Williams, under whom the City incurred an adverse audit report for the 2021/22 financial year from the Auditor-General (AG).
While Tshwane’s financial situation is still worrisome Brink is likely to demonstrate during his Soca that his administration is on track to stabilise the metro’s finances.
This is in light of the AG report showing that the municipality obtained a qualified audit report for 2022/23, marking an improvement.
Brink said: “Soca is an important occasion for the City’s administration to reflect on the work done over the past year.
“It also serves as an opportunity to highlight the City’s plans and projects for the year ahead.”
He said his speech would focus on addressing the City’s financial stability under his political stewardship.
Part of the address would shine a light on political stability in council, attributed to the multiparty coalition partners, according to Brink.
Important on the list of service delivery objectives will be the need to improve basic services such as public lighting, waste collection and maintaining cemeteries. Brink said he would also talk about the ongoing work aimed at providing clean water to Hammanskraal residents.
This follows his visit to the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant last week, which was flagged for its lack of capacity to purify waste water, resulting in sludge being discharged into the Apies River supplying water to the Temba water treatment plant.
Brink was in the company of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu.
Both of them conducted oversight inspections of the Rooiwal water treatment facility.
They also promised Hammanskraal residents that work was under way to upgrade the Klipdrift water treatment plant from 42 to 92 megalitres a day to provide clean water from September.
Brink will also give a report-back on a process to secure alternative ways of producing and procuring power to mitigate load shedding imposed by Eskom.
This follows a report approved by council to lease both the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations for power generation.
Last week, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi officially launched the multi-million rand Townlands social housing project in Marabastad.
The project was unveiled by former City of Tshwane mayor Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in February 2016.
Brink is expected to highlight the project as one of his administration’s programmes to provide social housing to low-income earners.