The City increased its bursary allocation from R10m per annum to R100m, enabling it to assist more youth achieve their dreams.

The City is steaming ahead with its rapid land release programme and is releasing 56 farms at a value of R120 million to previously disadvantaged local smallholding and subsistence farmers. This is to improve food security, increase tax and revenue base for the City, expand food exports and attract new investments into the City. The initiative will also enhance the quality of life for residents in the City and increase the number of job opportunities in the region.

Over 1 000 hectares of land will be released to the beneficiaries in a programme that will generate about R200 million in revenue for the City, through medium-term leases in addition to other economic benefits. The City is in a process of finalising economic partnership agreements with private sector companies, government agencies, development finance institutions, industry bodies, farmers’ associations, research institutions and training organisations.

One of the initiatives of Mayor Mzwandile Masina, on coming into office in August 2016, is for the City of Ekurhuleni to have its own university – the Ekurhuleni Applied Sciences and Technology University.

"In commencing our term of office, we outlined a clear programme of action to advance a pro-poor agenda as our guiding philosophy. We defined this agenda as a deliberate and systematic bias to rollout service delivery and economic development opportunities in a manner that uplifts the poorest sections of Ekurhuleni."