The DA caucus of the City of Cape Town met last night, together with the Federal and Provincial Leadership of the DA.
The caucus meeting was characterised by constructive engagement. The leadership received a warm and positive reception.
The caucus reaffirmed its commitment to focussing its efforts on the interests of the people of Cape Town, from whom it received a strong mandate to govern the City. It discussed and agreed on the need to continue to drive a high level of governance, for which Cape Town has built a strong reputation, and to continue the DA policy of redressing historical wrongs and creating a City that is more inclusive to all its residents.
It was also agreed that the successes achieved in managing the drought crisis should continue to be communicated, and the enormous contribution made by millions of Capetonians to manage water consumption be acknowledged. The combined efforts of residents and City officials in successfully navigating the summer season without the City running out of water are to be commended.
The caucus further affirmed its commitment to the ongoing high level of service delivery across the range of City services.
It acknowledged the need to attend to matters of governance, which had of late declined in a number of areas, and committed itself to re-establishing levels of good governance so that public trust and confidence in the City government would be properly earned.
The caucus further committed itself to heightened engagement with the public around the matters that concern them, and to address any grievances that exist.
Lastly, the caucus set the goal of maintaining Cape Town as the best Metro in South Africa, despite the increased competition from some other Metros in the past year.
I want to thank the councillors for their frank and constructive contributions and I am very encouraged by the new spirit and energy displayed.
I am looking forward to my period of leadership of the City with the support of these energetic and committed individuals.
As the Acting Mayor I will continue to execute the mandate of the voters, in the interests of all the people of Cape Town. I will make sure that we continue to build on the DA’s excellent record of governance in the City over the past 12 years. I know that the trust of the public must be earned and never taken for granted.
I am in full engagement with the City Manager and senior management to ensure that we finalise the City budget this month, taking into account the comments from the public. I have asked the City Manager to report to me on an assessment of the success and problems with the implementation of the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan, with proposals for any adjustments as may be necessary to improve the functioning of the City. Further actions will be reported as they are dealt with in the coming weeks and months.