After more than two months of trying to meet with the Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor to address urgent issues affecting the city’s residents and business fraternity, the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition on Tuesday engaged intensely with deputy executive mayor Chippa Ngcolomba and Mayoral Committee members in a three?hour meeting.
The coalition, formed in May and comprising of the following role players; Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, NMB Rate Payers Association, the South African Non?Governmental Organisation Coalition (SANGOCO), COSATU, Church Leadership and Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan University, following what residents and businesses have seen as an ineffective municipality hamstrung by political interference, called for urgent intervention in the city’s governance and for the immediate prioritisation of several key service delivery issues.
Answers were also sought over the R3.2?million golden handshake reportedly in store for former city manager Dr. Lindiwe Msengana?Ndlela whose resignation amid fears for her safety last month shocked the coalition.
Other pressing issues which have been negatively impacting the city’s residents and businesses, raised by the coalition at the meeting, included:
- The impact of electricity pricing on high energy users in our city where the new electricity tariff is impacting directly on the survival of these companies who have lost almost 1000 jobs over the past year. If not dealt with urgently it is likely to see companies close their doors by the year of end.
- Lack of key appointments in the municipality, including numerous Executive Director posts – and dealing with acting Executive Directors has caused business to loose confidence in who we can count on in the municipality.
- A backlog in infrastructure spend of about R4.5billion ? solutions needs to be found, especially with regards to infrastructure and aging substations which cost companies dearly. In addition, collapsing water infrastructure, such as Churchill pipeline which broke last year and the major funding of R450 million for the completion of Nooitgedacht low level water scheme to ensure Bay’s water supply.
- IPTS is a critical issue whereby civil society requested transparency on all dealings surrounding the matter, as effective public transport in non negotiable.
- Perceived corrupt supply in procurement processes and delayed payments to SMEs.
The issues have previously been raised when the coalition made a presentation to a full sitting of council in May, as well as in its submission for the daft Integrated Development Plan for the city.
“This was a first engagement. The next step is finding constructive solutions to the issues raised, jointly, for the benefit of the city. If it means meeting every two weeks as a working group, then that is what we are prepared to do,” said Mandla Madwara, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber president and leader of the coalition.
At the meeting held at Noninzi Luzipho Building, Madwara called on the municipality to release the controversial Kabuso and Pikoli reports, which detail alleged maladministration within the municipality, along with how city administrators planned to tackle corrupt actions detailed in both reports. (Editor: Click here – Kabuso Report – to read the Kabuso report as released to The Herald in October 2011)
“It was really us tabling our concerns verbally, because we had not been getting any response from our letters to the mayor. The deputy mayor said he would try and get back to us with another meeting in two weeks; some sub judice issues they could not respond to,” said Madwara.
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