CITY URGES COUNCIL TO FIND A SOLUTION TO THE CURRENT POLITICAL INSTABILITY TO AVERT POTENTIAL CIVIL UNREST
The City of Ekurhuleni wishes to express deep concern regarding the ongoing political instability in the city. The current situation is having a significant impact on the administration’s ability to effectively deliver services and adhere to legislated compliance timelines.
In light of the current situtation, the City Manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi yesterday (31 January 2023) wrote a letter to the Executive Mayor, Ald. Tania Campbell requesting the City Council to work together to find a political solution to the current deadlock.
In the letter the Accounting Officer highlighted that should the following urgent matters not be attended to, they may affect governance and service delivery across the city:
- The inability to have the SDBIP and Financial reports for Quarter 2 tabled to Council as prescribed by section 52 (d) of the MFMA; and
- The Accounting officer is expected to submit the Mid-Year Budget and Performance Assessment report to National Treasury and other relevant Provincial Departments in compliance with section 72 of the MFMA. The standard procedure is that the report is submitted with a council resolution to the departments.
The Accounting Officer has fulfilled all her obligations and is eagerly awaiting Council Resolution to further the processes set out in section 72 of the MFMA. This report and section 71 are the enablers for the executive Mayor to execute her section 54 (of MFMA) mandate.
The adjustment budget was recommended to Council to assist the City in dealing with urgent service delivery matters that affect the image and the reputation of the City, more especially the serious non-performance by the Environmental and Waste Management Department. Failure by the Council to approve the adjustment budget will affect the Service Delivery negatively since resources that need to be procured urgently such as tools of trade for Waste Management across the City cannot be obtained.
A critical link to mitigating against the challenges posed by the Environment and Waste Management Department is the procurement of a new fleet of vehicles to replace the aging fleet, which has become too expensive to maintain, with the regular break downs is impacting on the quality of service rendered.
The City is also expected to ensure that the Financial Statements are publicized with the Council resolution and the audit report as part of the JSE listing Requirements. It is advisable that if the City is unable to accept the Audit Report of the Financial Statement as presented by Auditor General as required, they take a resolution on whether they reinstate the previously published reports or not.
“Our city is facing unprecedented challenges, and it is only through political collaboration and unity that we can overcome them and avoid any potential civil unrest. I humbly urge the City Council to prioritize the needs of our residents and to put aside any personal or political differences to work towards a common goal. The well-being of our city and her residents should always come first, and it is my hope that the City Council will act accordingly,” points out Dr Mashazi.