‘WHEN local communities demand equal access to basic services such as water, electricity, roads, refuse removal and housing, they are exercising their rights.
‘When you as public servants deliver these services to communities, you must not paint a picture that you are doing them a favour. It is their constitutional rights to demand better services.’
This was the opinion of City of uMhlathuze’s Administration Acting Head of Section, Thami Phahla.
He was addressing a ward committee working session at the Empangeni Civic Centre last week.
‘I want to assure you that as ward committees, you are public servants elected by the people to hold government positions.
‘In your approach in dealing with your communities, you must implement the principles of Batho Pele, which is a Sesotho adage meaning ‘people first’.
Phahla told the more than 300 ward committee members from the city’s 34 wards to always stay in touch with the people and keep them informed about developments in their areas.
‘Often when you see people embarking on service delivery protests, it is not that they are being arrogant and unrealistic, but they are being kept in dark about issues they have raised with their community leaders.
‘With the Batho Pele principle, we want to get you as public servants to be service oriented and to commit to continuous service delivery improvements. This is a transparent mechanism to hold you accountable for the type of services you deliver.
‘The aim is to improve the face of service delivery through increased commitment, personal sacrifice and dedication.
‘We are doing all this to equip you as ward committees, to be able to respond to the needs of the people.’
Job creation
City’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) Manager Zodwa Mdluli echoed Phahla’s sentiments, saying ward committees were an extension of councillors and municipal officials, theirs was to serve as a link between the community and a municipality.
Mdluli warned that while the city remained committed to job creation through economic development and planned rural development interventions, it was however not the duty of municipality to create jobs.
‘There has been a perception so some quarters that it is the duty of a municipality to create jobs. In fact ours is to create a climate conducive to attract investments into the city to generate economic activities, which would in turn results in the job creation.’
She added that building hospitals, education centres, schools, provincial roads and traffic, ambulance services, issues pertaining to home affairs, social development, agriculture, crime, justice and correctional services were not their core functions.
She also highlighted the city’s catalytic project, which she said was aimed at stimulating economic activities. These are the new airpot modeled on the Aerotropolis concept, Empangeni CBD
Revitalisation, rural and township economy and may these projects may take between 5 to 10 years.
There was also an interaction session between ward committee members and municipal officials on issues pertaining to Back to Basics.
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