These were the remarks made by the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, Solly Msimanga during a media briefing to mark his one year in office. Msimanga was addressing the National Press Club. #MsimangaOneYearAnniv
It’s a great honour to address the National Press Club for the first time since taking over as the Executive Mayor of the Capital City of the Republic of South Africa.
The DA-led multi-party administration has recently marked one year since taking over the running of the City of Tshwane.
During the pre-election campaign, we made a promise to turn this City around; that we would stop corruption, deliver better services and create work opportunities for our people. We also promised to stabilize, revitalize and deliver better services to our VIPs. These are the ordinary residents of Tshwane.
We recommit ourselves to this cause every day and we endeavour to deliver on the promises we made to the city’s residents.
We are clear that there is still so much work to be done in this regard and while the journey to make Tshwane an inclusive, safe and caring city of opportunity; progress is indeed being made.
It is a fact that we have inherited a cash-strapped city where not enough provision was made to address the service delivery backlog that threatens the dignity of our people who continue to languish in uninhabitable areas.
Understanding all these challenges, it was important that we work smart with the limited resources at our disposal and that required us to focus our attention on our priorities which are informed by the will of the people who we were elected to serve.
Our work begun by us passing an adjustments budget that looked to better align our resources to ensure that we were able to prioritise the delivery of better services to our people in the remainder of the 2016/17 financial year after assuming office.
It is important to note the in addition to inheriting a city in financial shambles, we also inherited projects and programmes that were started and left unfinished for our people to take advantage of. Indeed some of these projects were vanity projects and served no meaningful purpose for our people and those after being thoroughly reviewed had to be stopped and resources directed to efforts that would be to the benefit of our people.
This meant that we had to formulate a strategically viable 2017/18 budget informed by an Integrated Development Plan that supports our efforts to build
- A City that facilitates economic growth and job creation
- A caring and inclusive city
- A City that delivers excellent services and protects the environment
- A City that keeps residents safe
- An open, honest and responsive city
Please allow me to share with you our service delivery achievement from the past 12 months since taking over the Tshwane administration.
Health
Notable achievements include the following:
The handing over of cheques to 23 Non Profit Organisations dealing with drugs and substance abuse. These were resources handed to these organizations pursuant to binding service level agreements that ensure all work done is geared toward rehabilitating those people, mainly youth, who have fallen into the trap of drug abuse.
We successfully brought stakeholders to the drugs and substance abuse consultative workshop and robustly engaged on the issue to carve a common goal toward fighting the scourge of drugs and substance abuse. We have further collaborated with the University of Pretoria on the community-based rehabilitation program wherein more than a thousand service users were enrolled.
We also handed over the newly constructed Soshanguve Block JJ clinic to Gauteng Department of Health and saw through the completion of Zithobeni clinic.
This is our commitment to ensuring that there is a progressive realization of access to healthcare and we are doing our part one step at a time to ensure that this human right is enjoyed by as many residents as possible.
We have also increased access to health services where services are available from Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 16:00 and extended from 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturdays at 13 of the 24 facilities. The full Primary Health Care {PHC} package is provided at all the clinics – ART and ARV roll-out at all our 24 facilities.
We have appointed 34 retired nurses on contract to assist critical staff shortages in the PHC clinics. The Pharmaceutical section has continuously managed to ensure that more than 90% of essential medicines are available at facilities at all times.
On the Expanded Programme on Immunisation
A successful influenza campaign was held and 92% of high risk residents were vaccinated against influenza.
The prioritising of mobile clinics to cater for communities in remote areas is also important. This supports the efforts of the Ward Based Outreach Teams who go into communities and conduct house visits. To date we have 8 mobile clinics in our regions with the exception of regions 4 and 5.
Safety and Security
Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of residents is one of the key priorities of this administration. Residents need to feel safe and be safe in the City they call home.
Our Anti-Drug Unit based under the Tshwane Metro Police Department has in the past year made significant achievements. As at 31 August 2017 this year we have made a number of drug-related arrests.
Ongoing joint intelligence-driven operations with SAPS and Crime Intelligence are taking place in all identified hotspots. In addition, complaints received from members of the public, media and social media are also followed up to the best of our ability given the limited resources currently at our disposal.
Further to that, the TMPD conducts educational and awareness sessions on substance abuse in schools throughout Tshwane to address the scourge of drugs and substance abuse.
The Anti-Cable Theft Unit was established to have proactive and reactive interventions at electrical substations, cable trenches, feeders and main feeders. The unit has also targeted operations at second-hand dealers in order to curb the sale of stolen nonferrous metals.
We have deployed 1000 TMPD members at various municipal properties and strategic installations to do static policing including crime prevention and crime combating, access control, patrol duties inside and outside the perimeter fencing. The City has also contracted 25 service providers to render guarding services and again to monitor municipal buildings and assets.
Let me remind you that in the 2017/18 budget, an allocation of R2 billion has been made for metro police to give effect to all our crime-fighting agenda.
Emergency services
In March 2017 we launched the Heuweloord Emergency Services Station. This station provides fire and rescue, emergency medical services and disaster management services to the community in Region 4. The planning and design phase of the construction of the Mamelodi Emergency Services station is currently underway.
Our Emergency Services Department was allocated vehicles in July 2017 as follows:
- 16 x rapid intervention vehicles
- 34 x ambulances
- 9 x response vehicles
- 6 x light delivery vehicles
The following FML vehicles have been ordered:
- 1 x Hazmat (Hazardous Material) vehicle
- 1 x Incident Command vehicle
- 4 x Grassfire vehicles
- 14 x Engine Companies (Rescue Pumpers)
- 2 x Rapid Intervention vehicles (Swift water & Rope rescue vehicles)
181 community members were trained in Buddy Aid, Basic Fire Fighting and First Aid Level 1. There was also awareness training of 4 480 community members as part of the Public Information Education and Relations (PIER) programme.
Economic Development
Under the DA-led multi-party administration, the City of Tshwane is committed to developing an economic future that is prosperous and inclusive. To successfully realise this goal required a strategic approach that identifies the very best growth opportunities.
The following projects were successfully executed under our economic development agenda:
Nellmapius Construction Incubator- The rationale behind this project is to provide business development and support services which are tailor-made to cater for the needs of SMMEs within the construction industry in a controlled environment thus enhancing the competitive capabilities of SMMEs participating in the programme.
The project is valued at R9.2 million for 3 years. At least 74 jobs were created.
South African Manufacturing Technology Demonstration Centre- To support SMMEs within the manufacturing sector through inter alia business and technical training, facilitating market access, operating business infrastructure, technology transfer, mentorship and coaching. The project is valued at R10 million and 113 direct jobs were created to date.
The Sector Support and Analysis Division facilitated the creation of 688 job opportunities through the implementation of its capital and operational projects. Of the 688 job opportunities created, 245 of them are sustainable or long term. These jobs were created through the Tshwane Business Process Outsourcing Park and Mining Social and Labour Plans projects
A total of 2 020 youth were trained in various skills programmes in partnership with private sector. The following sector skills programmes were implemented:
- Tshwane Tooling Academy in partnership with National Tooling Initiative Programme
- Tshwane Electronics and Engineering Academy in partnership with Samsung Electronics
- Construction and Building Related Qualification in partnership with BPESA
- Gauteng Automotive Learning Centre in partnership with Automotive Industry Development Centre
- Tourism training programme in partnership with Ga-Rankuwa Hotel School and Gauteng Youth Tourism Training Programme.
Tourism Grading- As part of repositioning the City of Tshwane as a tourism destination of choice, the City has partnered with Tourism Grading Council of South Africa to star grade township tourism establishments. A total of 162 tourism establishments were star graded.
SMME development and support- 297 SMMEs were supported by the City through various business development support services such as business incubation, enterprise development capacity building and quality assurance. Through these initiatives outlined above, a total of 187 jobs were created; of which 74 are temporary and 113 are permanent.
Cooperatives development and support- 262 cooperatives were provided with support such as facilitation of training on business and technical skills, access to funding and markets and non-financial support and infrastructure and co-operative registration.
Investment Portal- In line with the principles and objectives of the smart city vision, the City of Tshwane has modernised its approach to investment attraction, facilitation and aftercare. The city has modernised its approach to attracting investment by launching a dedicated investment portal. At the forefront of this initiative is digital adoption and the employment of latest information and communication technology to ensure adequate exposure and interaction between the City and the investor/business community.
Other projects in the pipeline are the expansion of the Automotive Supplier Park, Centurion Aerospace Village, Tshwane Agro-processing hub, Tshwane Freight and Logistics Hub.
In the State of the Capital Address, we announced that we want to attract approximately R10.8 billion in investment. I am happy to announce that we have managed to achieve over R2.3 billion of investment from the private sector for the period September 2016 to date.
City planning
In the previous financial year, the City processed 10 250 building plans covering approximately 2 229 460 square meters throughout the City. The aggregate construction value of the approved buildings is estimated at over R18 billion. This is one of the city levers for economic growth and development.
For the short to medium terms it is important for the city to leverage processes within its power in order to reduce red tape by giving effect to the developmental agenda such as:
- Speedy rates clearance;
- Speedy approval of building plans;
- Property registration
- Disposing of prohibitive by-laws and policy.
Agriculture and Environmental Management
The City through a partnership with Department of Environmental Affairs, refurbished three buy-back centres in Hammanskraal, Stinkwater and Atteridgeville
The other buy back centres being built are in Ga-Rankuwa and Mamelodi.
Phase 1 of the Kwaggasrand recycling facility was completed and opened on 9 November 2016. Phase 1 is currently operational and is receiving recyclable waste from region 3 and 4. Additional work for the centre to receive and extract recyclable waste from mixed waste is under construction.
The City is continuing with the standardisation of waste collection bins with 12 768 240 Litre bins having been distributed to households by June 2017. Linked to this was the review of the waste tariff where, for the first time, households with properties that are less than R120 000 in value will not be charged waste management service fees. At the same time the City addressed the historical unfair practice where consumers who are serviced by private contractors were not contributing towards the city cleaning levy. Now all property owners will contribute towards the levy.
The new Klip-kruisfontein cemetery was launched and has commenced with burials. The data connection allowed the cemetery to be the first in the City that could implement an electronic burial records management.
A new Air Quality Monitoring station has been established in Temba Hammanskraal. Emission reports from industries within the City of Tshwane jurisdiction are being monitored.
Agricultural support in the form of training, market and finance access is provided, benefiting over 100 smallholder farmers.
Utility Services
Electricity and energy: Currently 80.74% of all households in the city now have access to an electricity supply.
- During the 2016/17 financial year, new electricity connections was provided to 4 808 customers through the electrification and new connections programme.
- Pretoria West power station is currently generating 24 Mega Watt per month of electricity and we are in the process to push it up to 25 Mega Watt per month. This effectively means that we pay less money to Eskom in this regard which allows us to provide electricity to more households in Tshwane.
- Rooiwal power station is in its final stage of upgrading and will come online in January 2018.
- The upgrading of Eldoraigne 132/11kV substation from a capacity of 40MVA to 80MVA is 92% complete.
- The Mamelodi 3 132/11kV substation is being upgraded from the current capacity of 20MVA to 80MVA. The project is about 88% complete. Various other substations are currently also being upgraded. This will contribute to the stabilisation and improvement of the energy supply to our customers.
Water and Sanitation: 81.98 % of all households in the city now have access to potable water in their yards and 79.21% of households in the city now have water borne sanitation. 690 additional households were provided with a full water meter connections (Inter alia Rama City, Mabopane Ext 1, Kopanong, Winterveld, Zithobeni Heights and Zithobeni 8 and 9).
5 256 additional households were provided with a water borne sewer (Inter alia Rama City, Mabopane Ext 1, Kopanong, Winterveld, Zithobeni Heights and Zithobeni 8 and 9).
Over 12 km of new water network infrastructure has been installed to improve access to potable water.
As a result of the collapsing of the water infrastructure due to age and leaks, the following projects were completed for water network replacement in the City of Tshwane:
- Soshanguve Block AA and Block F- 4 653 meters of pipes;
- Ga-Rankuwa- 1 336 meters of steel pipes installed to replace the asbestos cement pipes; and
- Clubview, Hennopspark- 3 451 meters installed. Water reticulation replacement in Region 4 was critical due to the dolomitic ground formation and the possibility of sinkholes forming when water pipes are leaking in this area.
Housing and human settlements
- 2 804 families have received title deeds to their homes and are now formal owners.
- 918 new houses were completed and will be allocated to qualifying beneficiaries in Refilwe Manor, Fort west, Mamelodi, Zithobeni, Kudube and Olievenhoutbosch
- 1 155 houses have been allocated to families through happy letters and the process of transfer via title deed is underway. 64 of the informal settlements in the city have been provided with rudimentary sanitation services.
Community and Social Development
Indigent Programme- There are currently 75 770 individuals registered on the City’s Indigent Database. The database is currently under review as there are major shortcomings with the exit strategy and continuous evaluation of registered individuals.
Community Based Rehabilitation Programme (CBRP)
- 1 100 service users enrolled in the substance use programme
- 55% of service users of the substance use programme were retained in the programme after six months
Newly launched facilities
No new facilities were launched during the period under review. However, practical completion has been achieved at:
- Olievenhoutbosch multi-purpose sport facility
- Lotus Gardens multi-purpose sport facility
- Rethasbiseng multi-purpose sport facility
- New Ga-Rankuwa Library (IT connection outstanding)
- Cullinan Library Park
Roads and Transport
The Capital Program for Design, Construction and Maintenance unfolded according to plan during the 2016/17 financial year. More than ninety percent (90%) of the projects were in the construction phase and a major bulk of the projects were completed.
A total of 14 kilometers of storm water drainage system and 32 kilometers of roads were completed to the required standards.
Bus Rapid Transport
The Roads and Transport department has developed an Industry Transition Strategy to serve as a guiding framework for the negotiations that have to take place with the affected public transport operators in the implementation of the A Re Yeng system.
Line 1A will be launched in October 2017 with full operations starting from Wonderboom to Pretoria CBD.
Tshwane Bus Services and A Re Yeng (TRT) has fully implemented the Automated Fare Collection (AFC) system and is now running a cashless system as of June 2017.
The new Tshwane Bus Service timetable and routes were implemented in November 2016 and resulted in a number of benefits including reduced customer complaints by over 90% as commuters were able to get busses daily at the scheduled stops and time and increased passenger ridership from 270 000 in the month of October 2016 to almost 390 000 in July 2017.
TBS Special Hire services made historical trips since its establishment in the 19th centuries. For the first time since the establishment of TBS, about 40 TBS buses were able to transport ZCC church members to Moria during the 2017 Easter pilgrimage. For the first time, our buses crossed the border to Swaziland transporting church members during the month of June 2017
The Intergovernmental Authorisation Agreement- a Service Level Agreement with the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport was approved by Mayoral Committee and signed with Gauteng Roads and Transport.
The Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan – 2105- 2020 was approved by the MEC of Roads and Transport in March 2017 – the plan serves as a guiding document or blueprint of transportation planning in the City.
Demand to be allowed to use BRT facilities
Utilization of BRT lanes and facilities by taxis cannot be allowed at this stage. The BRT line was gazette to be used exclusively for BRT services. The only exception will be when users are directed otherwise by the traffic officer on duty to address emergency situation/s. BRT has corridor protection strategy approved by Council allowing only TRT busses to use the facility. Affected operators are therefore compensated if directly affected or operating along the TRT line. A process will be undertaken jointly with the industry leadership and National Department of Transport on the possible use of the facilities by other taxi operators.
Improved finances
Since taking over the running of the city, cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year improved from R1.1 billion in 2015/16 financial year to R2.1 billion in 2016/17 financial year. Unauthorized expenditure reduced from R1.6 billion in the financial year 2015/16 to R634 million in 2016/17 financial year.
Conclusion
As the Capital City, we have a responsibility to ensure that we set the highest possible standard for the rest of the country. We must be a shining example for all people across South Africa.
I am very proud of the accomplishments that have been made, but there is still more work to be done.
Credit also goes to all officials who have rolled up their sleeves to helped make this city one that is better to live in, resilient and inclusive.
This administration will continue to honour the commitments it made to all the people of Tshwane; to be a government that they can be proud of.
Let us work together to make the Capital City prosperous again.
I Thank you!!!