The department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) in Gauteng has told the mayors in the province there was a need to beef up capacity in municipalities to ramp up service delivery.
MEC for Cogta in Gauteng, Jacob Mamabolo, said this at the Capital on the Park Hotel in Sandton during a strategic media briefing on Sunday to discuss developments regarding the local government turnaround strategy across all municipalities in the province.
Gauteng has nine municipalities that focus on providing service delivery and implementing strategies to improve service delivery, ensuring they are fully functional and effective in promoting good governance and a fully fledged administration.
Progress made by municipalities
Mamabolo said that he was grateful that all the municipalities in Gauteng were fully in support of the local government turnaround strategy.
“We need to make sure that there is sustainable capacity within the organs of state in order for us to make progress in our municipalities.
“It is very vital that we cooperate with each other in working together when we deal with strategies to make our municipalities work for our people,” said Mamabolo.
Mogale City mayor Lucky Sele, who plays a central role in driving the local government turnaround strategy in his municipality, said that the workstream’s focus is on the predetermined pressure points relating to trading services, including performance on critical services such as water and sanitation, electricity, solid waste management, access to free basic services, traffic and street lighting, and infrastructure expenditure performance.
“Municipalities continue to make inroads in fighting illegal connections, repairing leaking reservoirs, valves and meters, and daily restoration of pipe bursts, with the metros leading in making significant savings on losses from repairs.
“The fight against distribution losses continues; Midvaal, City of Ekurhuleni, and Mogale City experience some reductions.
“Firm measures are being introduced to stabilise and eliminate the losses—water restrictions, illegal connections, and consumer awareness programmes,” said Sele.
Some mayors snub the event
The provincial chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), Ester Mtatyana, said the workers were struggling to fulfill their duties across the province due to lack of tools of trade.
“We don’t have resources in the whole province to do our daily work in different departments. We do not even have landfill sites for waste. If waste is there, it cannot be cleaned up because there is nowhere to take it to.
“That will result in a health hazard to the province. The sad situation is that the workers are there to do the job.
“MEC, we don’t know where you get these mayors from. We have a problem, as the majority of the mayors are not working with us.
“Instead, they are hostile to the workers, and we do need a political intervention because the mayors’ response when there are challenges is to suspend the workers,” said Mtatyana.
She appealed to Mamabolo to take charge, as it was irresponsible for the other Gauteng mayors to snub the Sunday event.
“We are not assisted at all; hence, those mayors who are not here did not even bother to attend.
“Anyone who is not taking what we are doing here today seriously is clearly working against this government and must be recalled,” said Mtyatana.
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- Gauteng's Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) emphasizes the need to strengthen municipal capacity to improve service delivery across nine municipalities.
- MEC Jacob Mamabolo highlighted the importance of sustainable capacity and cooperation among municipalities to ensure effective governance and administration.
- Mogale City mayor Lucky Sele detailed efforts to address critical services like water, sanitation, electricity, waste management, and infrastructure, noting progress in reducing water losses and illegal connections.
- The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) raised concerns about a lack of resources and tools, poor cooperation from some mayors, and hostile attitudes towards workers, calling for political intervention.
- Samwu's provincial chairperson Ester Mtatyana condemned some mayors for not attending the strategic briefing, warning that those undermining the government's efforts "must be recalled."
MEC for Cogta in
Mamabolo said that he was grateful that all the municipalities in
“We need to make sure that there is sustainable capacity within the organs of state in order for us to make progress in our municipalities.
"It is very vital that we cooperate with each other in working together when we deal with strategies to make our municipalities work for our people,” said Mamabolo.
Mogale City mayor Lucky Sele, who plays a central role in driving the local government turnaround strategy in his municipality, said that the workstream's focus is on the predetermined pressure points relating to trading services, including performance on critical services such as water and sanitation, electricity, solid waste management, access to free basic services, traffic and street lighting, and infrastructure expenditure performance.
“Municipalities continue to make inroads in fighting illegal connections, repairing leaking reservoirs, valves and meters, and daily restoration of pipe bursts, with the metros leading in making significant savings on losses from repairs.
"
"Firm measures are being introduced to stabilise and eliminate the losses—water restrictions, illegal connections, and consumer awareness programmes,” said Sele.
“We don’t have resources in the whole province to do our daily work in different departments. We do not even have landfill sites for waste. If waste is there, it cannot be cleaned up because there is nowhere to take it to.
"
"MEC, we don’t know where you get these mayors from. We have a problem, as the majority of the mayors are not working with us.
"Instead, they are hostile to the workers, and we do need a political intervention because the mayors’ response when there are challenges is to suspend the workers,” said Mtatyana.
“We are not assisted at all; hence, those mayors who are not here did not even bother to attend.
“
