OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR
Block B | 2nd Floor | Tshwane House | 320 Madiba Street | Pretoria | 0002
PO Box 440 | Pretoria | 0001
Tel: 012 358 9999
Email: sallym@tshwane.gov.za|www.tshwane.gov.za | www.facebook.com/CityOfTshwane
Monthly Mayoral Newsletter April 2023
Let’s build a capital city that works for all its people
Dear Tshwane residents
On 28 March 2023, I was elected as your Executive Mayor. It is my privilege to serve the people of Tshwane, and I want to thank the City of Tshwane multiparty coalition for the confidence they have expressed in me. I have worked in local government for most of my political career, first as a councillor in the City, then as a member of mayor Solly Msimanga’s Mayoral Committee. Later I served as a member of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in Parliament.
Like you, my family and I are residents of South Africa’s capital city. Like you, I want Tshwane to be a city that works – the kind of clean, effective and corruption-free government that has become the norm in many parts of the Western Cape as well as the Midvaal here in Gauteng. And like you, I want Tshwane to work for all its people – not just a politically connected few or those who have means. In essence, we all want a capital city that we can be proud of.
While many people have lost hope in the future of South Africa as a free and prosperous society, I have not. Neither have my Mayoral Committee. We know that whatever else separates the people of Tshwane, we have a shared interest that goes beyond race, class and place. If there is any doubt about the existence of this shared interest, the crises of the past month must reaffirm our belief.
When criminals attack our service infrastructure, when 132 kV electricity pylons collapse and temporarily knock out 300 MW of electricity, when Ford Motor Company based in Silverton loses manufacturing days, when a systems failure at Rand Water leads to prolonged water outages, then we are all affected. That is what is meant by a shared interest.
Our mission as a multiparty coalition is to serve this shared interest and to build a capital city that works for all its people. To do this requires a strong and dedicated team. This is why I have, in consultation with the coalition, appointed the following members of the Mayoral Committee to assist me with the execution of my duties:
• Cllr Kingsley Wakelin (DA): MMC for Corporate and Shared Services
• Ald Hannes Coetzee (ActionSA): MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning
• Cllr Themba Fosi (DA): MMC for Utilities and Regional Operations and Coordination
• Cllr Ziyanda Zwane (IFP): MMC for Environment and Agriculture Management
• Ald Peter Sutton (DA): MMC for Finance
• Ald Katlego Mathebe (DA): MMC for Roads and Transport
• Ald Grandi Theunissen (FF+): MMC for Community Safety
• Cllr Peggy de Bruin (ActionSA): MMC for Community and Social Development Services
• Cllr Ofentse Madzebatela (DA): MMC for Human Settlements
• Cllr Rina Marx (FF+): MMC for Health
We will focus on the following five priorities within the context of the manifesto of the multiparty coalition government:
1. Stabilise City finances by devising and implementing a bold recovery plan that focuses on the core functions of the municipality.
2. Reduce the number of unscheduled water and electricity outages, invest in our core infrastructure and mitigate the effects of load-shedding (reduce reliance on Eskom).
3. Improve basic services pertaining to pothole repairs, street light maintenance, grass cutting and public cleaning.
4. Secure infrastructure assets, main roads and business nodes against criminals by improving the focus and functioning of the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
5. Instil high levels of productivity and professionalism in City officials through appropriate performance management systems.
To achieve these priorities, we need to build a capable City administration. And to build a capable City administration, we need to recruit capable managers – professionals who do not allow party politics to get in the way of doing an excellent job. This is a core priority for me, which is why I have brought a report to the municipal Council this month to advertise long-vacant senior management positions.
Along with service delivery matters, we have also had to work on the delayed adjustment budget for the 2022/23 financial year. We intend to serve the adjustment budget before Council during the meeting set for 26 April 2023.
The adjustment budget process provides a municipality with the opportunity to make key revisions to the approved original budget (2022/23 financial year). This is done to account for our revenue-collection levels, expenditure levels and service delivery performance.
We are serious about giving priority to City finances as Council passed the draft
2023/24 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and the draft budget for the 2023/24 financial year. The two items are now out for public comment until 17 May 2023.
I encourage residents to engage with these documents, which are available on the City’s website and other public platforms. It important that we engage robustly with communities through various public participation methods so as to ensure that the voices and needs of our residents are fully considered in the final IDP and budget for our City.
The City is tabling a total budget of R46,9 billion, consisting of the operating budget of R44,5 billion and the capital infrastructure investment budget of R2,4 billion.
The 2023/24 draft budget seeks to secure the financial sustainability of the City while also delivering core services within the financial limits of the City.
In formulating the draft IDP and budget, we have ensured alignment with our multiparty coalition government’s shared values and principles of building a capital city that works for all its people. Over R1 billion of the capital budget is allocated towards prioritising electricity and water infrastructure. It is important that we reduce unscheduled power and water cuts.
Other key budget allocations include health, housing, community safety and general infrastructure maintenance, as well as many other key service delivery items.
The detailed documents are available on the City of Tshwane official website, www.tshwane.gov.za. Comments must be sent to idpcomments@tshwane.gov.za. The inputs received will shape the final IDP and budget to be approved by Council in June 2023.
As I conclude, I want to reiterate to residents that I am fully committed to the five core priorities that I have identified which will ensure that we fast-track service delivery for all.
These five priorities are drawn from our coalition agreement and represents our collective drive and unity of purpose in improving service delivery for all Tshwane residents. The City faces many serious challenges, so I must be honest that there will be no quick fixes, but we are committed and focused on rebuilding the City of Tshwane to become a City that works for all its people.
Best wishes
Executive Mayor
Cllr Cilliers Brink
