The Mayor has voiced plans to register all of Makana’s poor and needy people so that the municipality can get more funding to take care of them. This and delivering basic services to citizens are two of Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter’s top priorities, he said at the first Mayoral Imbizo held in Sun City informal settlement recently.
The Mayor has voiced plans to register all of Makana’s poor and needy people so that the municipality can get more funding to take care of them. This and delivering basic services to citizens are two of Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter’s top priorities, he said at the first Mayoral Imbizo held in Sun City informal settlement recently.
The Mayor, council speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac, other council members and Ward 3 residents met under a marquee on Wednesday, 7 November, to launch Makana municipality's 2012/13 IDP/Budget review public participation meetings.
Addressing community members, Peter said that after listening to what ward councillor Marcelle Booysen had to say on behalf of her constituency, he has come to the people to find out exactly what their problems are. He spoke to them in Afrikaans, a predominant language in the area. One community member thanked the Mayor for this and his commitment to helping them.
The Mayor said the council has agreed that delivering basic services like sewerage reticulation, clean water and electricity to those who already have the necessary infrastructure are main priorities.
We have also prioritised housing because we believe none of these services can be delivered if people don’t have houses. We are also prioritising community and social cohesion – that is your halls, sports grounds and parks, he said. It is important to note these services are provided for by sector departments, not the municipality, the Mayor said, emphasising that provincial government has been alerted of the problems facing Makana’s people.
But it is not only the government that must do their bit. Peter urged citizens who are employed and earning to pay their municipal rates and not claim that they have nothing.
They must pay for services to help those who are in need. It is also important as the municipality to have an indigent campaign, he said, adding that reports have shown that the registered number of people in Makana needing grants is low, or remains the same every year. We have noted that something is not happening right in our administration, Peter said.
This becomes a challenge when Makana applies for subsidies from national government. We don’t get enough money from national government for equitable share because the number of Indigent people is low, and such a budget assists people who have nothing. During this campaign we want to register everyone who is indigent so that there will be a database, he said.
The Mayor and his team will conduct public participation meetings in Makana’s wards until the end of the year.
