Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina said on Thursday that his African National Congress-led municipality was not apologetic about improving the living conditions of communities in Germiston. 

He was addressing the media about the city’s 100-day programme, which aims to fast-track service delivery in Ekurhuleni.

“We are not apologetic about improving the living conditions of our people in informal settlements, nor are we apologetic about the roll-out of 100 000 housing units and 59 000 serviced stands to deal with housing backlogs,” he stated.

In an effort to promote local entrepreneurs through supply chain processes, Masina said the municipality would move speedily to make tender documents accessible to entrepreneurs for free if acquired online, as well as ensure that suppliers were paid within 15 days after the submission of an invoice.

The mayor also promised that Ekurhuleni’s tender processes would be streamlined to allow the finalisation of tenders within four months of advertising as the current process took between six to eighteen months. 

Masina said his Metro would conduct “a value for money analysis” on its procurement processes to ensure that each procurement transaction was as close as possible to the market value of the product procured. 

The municipality will also continue with its open tender process which was introduced late last year.

“We remain resolute to revive our economy, hence we are introducing a ten-point plan to boost the economy and create jobs. Special attention in this regard will be paid to reviving our manufacturing sector, implementing the township economy strategy and the roll-out of the aerotropolis masterplan,” he highlighted.

Cost-cutting Measures

On the issue of cost-cutting Masina said it was another critical area that needed urgent intervention.

“We shall be conducting an analysis of our cost drivers with special emphasis on cutting costs on overseas trips, personnel costs, catering, fleet management and telephone and electricity bills. Plans are in place to fit 800 municipal vehicles with electronic fuel devices to manage consumption,” he detailed.   

The municipality will also focus on intensifying credit control measures, addressing the growing debtors book as well as increasing and exploring new payment platforms and methods.

“While we are very happy with the impact of e-Siyakhokha over the years. We, however, believe that we could still do more with further innovation, hence the decision to roll out self-service machines at busy public spaces such as shopping malls, [especially] targeting townships,” he emphasized.

Fraud and Corruption

To root out fraud and corruption in the housing sector, Masina said plans were in place to verify the 1996 waiting list.

“The review list will be used as a reference guide going forward. We shall further introduce a biometric system to control the management of the list so that houses are given to their faithful beneficiaries,” he said.

The municipality also promised to crack the whip on criminals and drug peddlers in hot spots such as Kempton Park, Germiston and the Boksburg central business district.

Health

The Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality is set to open the new Khumalo, Tsietsi and Dukathole clinics, which would make healthcare services more accessible.

Masina said the city would also add three 24-hour clinics taking the number to eleven.

Housing and Electricity

A total of 292 families will soon receive proper housing with an additional 280 to receive title deeds shortly after.

“We already have eleven thousand title deeds at our disposal and we shall continue distributing them when due processes including verification of owners had been concluded,” Masina stated. 

He added that the issue of unstable electricity supply in the Germiston area would be attended to and R150-million has been allocated to address the problem.