The Executive Mayor Dan Plato joined a number of service delivery initiatives across the City on Tuesday, 17 November.
From Mitchell’s Plain to Delft, Mayor Dan Plato was out and about checking up on service delivery. This included checking in on the City’s pothole repair teams, handing out bursaries to unemployed youth in Athlone and handing over title deeds in Bonteheuwel.
08:30, Pothole repair campaign, Mitchell’s Plain
‘While it has been some weeks since the national hard lockdown was lifted, the impact of those first few months is still being felt in so many sectors. While we were able to keep many services functioning, the national lockdown regulations prevented us from delivering others, such as road maintenance and pothole repair. This is why we have hired additional contractors to help our teams deal with the backlog as quickly as possible, and why I am personally checking up on the progress every week.
‘Our residents have come to expect quality service delivery from us and this is one of the ways we are working to demonstrate how we’re overcoming challenges and finding our way back to delivering optimal and efficient levels of service delivery. Our city experienced one of the rainiest seasons in recent years, which limited preventative maintenance, and was compounded by the national lockdown. Now, however, with more capacity and warmer weather, we are working flat-out,’ said Executive Mayor Dan Plato.
City wide, the City’s Road Department has repaired 2 776 potholes during the five-month period from January 2020 until the end of May 2020, with a major increase in repairs resulting in 10 186 pothole repairs from 1 June 2020 until the end of October 2020 when we were able to bring more staff back to the depots. Residents can report potholes to the Transport Information Centre on 080 065 6463. This is a 24/7 information centre and is toll-free from a landline or a cell phone. Alternatively, a mail can be sent to Transport.Info@capetown.gov.za. You can also send a WhatsApp to 063 407 3699, or contact our Customer Call Centre on 0860 103 089.
10:00, Youth skills development – bursaries handed out, Athlone
‘Many of our youth were sadly prevented from following their dreams and their ambitions during the national lockdown. This is why my office immediately started engaging with the SETAs and other education stakeholders to put together a programme of action that could empower the youth with skills and education opportunities. I was pleased to be handing out bursaries for Radio Production courses, funded by MICT SETA, for the first 25 of 50 youth from Athlone and surrounds. This has been facilitated by our Life Counts programme, which has hosted several engagements with the youth across the Metro over recent weeks. This morning is the first bursary handover event in a series of accredited skills development opportunities for the Life Counts Youth. The youth participating will also receive a stipend to assist with traveling and related costs.’
11:00, Mayor’s Clean-up Campaign, Delft
‘The national lockdown saw a significant reduction in litter, but as day-to-day life resumes, we began to see a noticeable increase in illegal dumping and general littering in various communities. This clean-up campaign is another element of our drive to enhance service delivery for the benefit of communities and to show our residents what we can achieve if we all work together. We can keep our city clean if we all do our part.
‘Illegal dumping is harmful and against the law. Vehicles used in illegal dumping can be confiscated and a release fee of more than R17 000 will be charged, over and above the fines issued for dumping. To report illegal dumping, please call 0860 103 089.
‘We call on our residents to come out and support the campaign. #KeepCapeTownClean!
13:00, Title Deed Handover, Bonteheuwel
‘Over the coming weeks, the City of Cape Town will hand over 6000 title deeds to property owners in areas across the City. Yesterday, nearly 100 residents of Valhalla Park, Bishop Lavis, Belhar, Ravensmead and Bonteheuwel received their title deeds, empowering them as home owners. I am pleased to be joining these handovers and assist in bringing residents comfort, certainty and ownership of their homes, making them fully-fledged and legitimate homeowners.’
During November, beneficiaries whose title deeds are ready for collection, will receive a letter from the City informing them of the details for their collection. Since the beginning of 2020, the City has handed over close to 500 title deeds and had it not been for the COVID-19 national lockdown, this number would be higher. With the easing of national lockdown regulations, the Urban Management Directorate is making every effort to ensure that our beneficiaries receive their title deeds ahead of the festive season.