This is the plans delivered to council by the newly elected DA executive mayor of Nelson Mandel Bay, Athol Trollip. There is more wisdom here than the previous mayor, Danny Jordaan, could dream up with every honorary doctorate degree given to him by every wannabe liberal university in all of the universe.
No more wisdom by us. Only Trollip’s words:
“Our plan for this municipality is founded on 6 pillars: Well-Run City, Caring City, Safe City, Forward-Thinking City, Opportunity City and Inclusive City.
In order to achieve this vision we will immediately get to work on a large number of items, some of which I’ve listed below.
1. Setup an anti-corruption hotline for the purpose of sourcing information and evidence from staff and residents that will assist in stopping corruption.
2. I will spend at least 2 full days in Uitenhage and Despatch, working from the Mayor’s office, every month to address a long-lasting legacy of isolation.
3. I will launch a Jobs Desk in the Mayor’s Office. The Coordinator responsible for this Desk will engage with universities, business and other industry stakeholders to build a database of available employment and bursary opportunities, to provide a platform for job-seekers.
4. We are going to resurface and reseal sections of 15 roads across the Metro, and will roll out a comprehensive ongoing maintenance programme to ensure that all roads, traffic signalling devices and streetlights are in excellent working condition.
5. Through cutting appointments and reducing unnecessary expenditure, we will secure R100 million savings over the next 100 days.
6. We will fill all critical service delivery vacancies relating to water and electricity, so that we can work toward delivering better basic services.
7. We are going to fully operationalise the Joint Operation Centre (0800205050) so that it is able to deal with all service delivery related complaints and action appropriate response.
8. We will increase law enforcement across the Metro, bolstered by the swearing in of 50 Metro Police officers, who are adequately trained and equipped to deal with all Metro Policing matters.
9.The Metro Police will work in collaboration with the South African Police Services to roll out at least 3 road-blocks every week, monitoring vehicle roadworthiness and licensing.
10. The municipal court will be resourced appropriately to ensure that all bylaw cases are dealt with swiftly and without hindrance.
11. We will ensure that the Problem Buildings By-law is brought before Council and passed so that we can begin a process of rejuvenating our inner city and other areas. The days of collapsing, derelict buildings are over.
12. We are going to review the existing housing list to ensure that it is in order, and then make this list publicly available at all municipal buildings. Only residents who are on the list will receive a house and title deed.
13. We will ensure that weekly refuse collection is rolled out in every community, overgrown bushes are cut back, and litter is picked up.
14. All those caught dumping illegally will be fined and repeat offenders will have their vehicles impounded.
15. All municipal resorts will be assessed for viability. Those that are in a state of disrepair will be considered for private management through a fair tendering process.
Although this is only a subset of the complete list of action steps, it is abundantly clear that there is a lot to do.
This DA-led multiparty government is already at work. The Bay is being rebuilt, road by road and community by community.”
