Media statement 1 March 2021
Cllr Randall Williams
Executive Mayor, City of Tshwane
Significant progress made in February to stabilise City of Tshwane operations
Dear residents of Tshwane
Over the last month we have achieved some significant successes, which I wanted to share with you.
City finances
During the Council meeting last week, we approved the adjustment budget. This follows an assessment of the performance of the municipality during the first half of the financial year, taking into account, among others, additional revenue that has become available, levels of expenditure, cost savings and service delivery performance. The approval of the adjustment budget will play a critical role in stabilising the City’s finances.
We have recently begun the strategic roll-out of prepaid electricity meters to households in Tshwane. This involves replacing over 24 000 meters with smart prepaid meters citywide in different households. More than 61% of properties in Tshwane already purchase electricity via prepaid meters, and this strategic roll-out will contribute to developing a completely smart metered electricity network that benefits all Tshwane residents.
We also approved the Internal Municipal Service District By-law. This is a critical piece of legislation which will help to facilitate the creation of improvement districts in the city.
COVID-19
On matters relating to COVID-19 we have continued to witness a decline in the number of cases on a week-to-week basis. We recently reported that the number of active cases had dropped to below 1 000. We will continue to monitor the cases on a day-to- day basis and adjust our response accordingly.
The City is in a state of readiness to assist in the distribution of vaccines. While the national government has taken the lead in terms of procurement, we are ready to assist in Tshwane.
One of our health clinics at Sammy Marks recently had its A-grade rating affirmed by the South African Pharmacy Council, highlighting the work we have done to ensure that our healthcare facilities are prepared and capacitated. Our mobile units are also active in communities, providing continuous testing and screening.
Economic growth
Earlier in February, I took part in an oversight inspection at the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ), along with President Cyril Ramaphosa, Premier David Makhura, Minister Ebrahim Patel, and the leadership and executive team from Ford.
This oversight inspection marked an important milestone in the implementation of the investment drive launched by President Ramaphosa to raise US$100 billion in investments to boost our economy.
The TASEZ alone will contribute approximately 1,1% to this target, translating to over R15 billion, and it will contribute to the creation of over 8 700 direct jobs and support over 50 000 jobs throughout the entire value chain.
Social support and relief
February has also been a particularly rainy month for the residents of Tshwane. The City of Tshwane has thus far assisted hundreds of households that were affected by heavy rains. Elevated water levels and localised flooding have been experienced in all seven regions of Tshwane, leading to road closures and damage to property.
I want to commend our teams from the Emergency Services Department and the Community and Social Development Services Department who have assisted hundreds of households in clearing water from properties, provided blankets, mattresses and food parcels, and assisted residents to relocate to temporary shelter.
I am proud of the work that the City of Tshwane teams have done in the last four months since we assumed office. We have moved speedily to stabilise the running of the City so we can focus on and enhance the quality of the services we provide to Tshwane residents.
