By Doreen Mokgolo
The newly appointed executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, has shared his plans to improve service delivery in the metro.
Speaking at the OR Tambo Government Precinct in Germiston on Tuesday, Xhakaza said the administration is committed to restoring political stability and confidence among investors and stakeholders.
The mayor, who was appointed two weeks ago, spoke about the plans the ANC had committed to implementing before they lost control of the metro to the DA-led coalition in 2021 and those that Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi presented last year in his State of the Province address.
Xhakaza said he will introduce a mayoral flagship in the next 100 days to unblock red tape and accelerate service delivery.
These include restoring the mayor’s imbizo to give feedback to residents, setting up a robust service delivery war room chaired by the mayor, restoring mega projects, and releasing strategic land.
The city also wants to reclaim and refurbish hijacked buildings and re-establish the University of Ekurhuleni advisory committee.
Xhakaza said he is committed to paying special attention to the Kwa-Thema electricity challenges, where the transformer was burned down, leaving residents without electricity for over a month last year.
“The transformer is ready and should be fitted next week. We will also address the sewer problems in Etwatwa and Katlehong water in Duduza and Tsakani, as well as the outstanding problems in Thembisa.
“There are some of the projects in human settlement that were brought to a standstill by the DA-lead coalition, calling them vanity projects. How do you call a housing project a vanity project?” he asked.
To get rid of uncommitted employees, Xhakaza said he would be doing an audit of several people per department as well as the output of that department.
“Every employee must be here because they want to make a difference. There cannot be free rides. We want managers to make this the order of the day,” he said.
Pictured above: Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni.
Image source: Doreen Mokgolo
