Poor coordination and indecision are some of the concerns that have been raised regarding the slow implementation of dozens of major projects in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Executive mayor, Danny Jordaan, told a Council meeting today that this was the gist of the feedback that he got from stakeholders who aer involved in more than a dozen big projects he listed in his speech to councillors.
These include the long-mooted Waterfront project, the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme and the Motherwell Urban Renewal project.
Jordaan said to achieve the objective of growth for the region, the Metro needs to ensure the seamless integration between all the entities responsible for investment promotion, urban renewal and economic development.
The mayor says he's quite determined to ensure that all the constraints that have delayed the implementation of these projects are dealt with once and for all.
Read his full speech below:
It is almost a month since we last met in this venue on 18 June 2015 when we were joined by the Honourable Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mr Pravin Gordhan. I hope you have used the break to spend quality time with your children and grand children while they are on the winter school recess.
For many of us however there has hardly been any time to rest. Since the visit by Minister Gordhan, we have interacted with many other colleagues from national and provincial government and indeed, with representatives of civil society, business and residents from our Metro.
Madame Speaker, on 07 July 2015 we visited the Coega Industrial Development Zone with the MEC of Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism, Honourable Mr Sakhumzi Somyo and the Deputy Minister of Energy, Honourable Ambassador Ms Tembisile Majola where we received an comprehensive briefing on the work being done to find alternative sources of energy for the region and the country.
We observed the significant progress being made with the Dedisa Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant as well as the innovations in renewable energy. I was highly impressed with the dedication and enthusiasm of the CDC staff. This Metro is well on course develop its own sources of energy and to contribute to the reduction of load shedding nationally.
I visited Coega on the 7th July and again with investors yesterday and left convinced more than ever before that the economy of our region is set for a remarkable positive transformation within the next five to ten years. We need to work hard to ensure that the Coega Development Corporation receives all the support it needs to expand the IDZ to fulfil its role as the catalyst of growth for the Metro, the Region and the province.
Fellow Councillors, in order to achieve the objective of growth for the region, we need to ensure seamless integration between all the entities responsible for investment promotion, urban renewal and economic development in the Metro. I am aware that this Council and its standing committees have on different occasions received presentations or actually taken resolutions on projects such as the Waterfront, Nooitgedacht, Fish Water Flats, Motherwell Urban Renewal, International Convention Centre, Nelson Mandela Statue, Airport Development, Helenvale Renewal, Small Business Incubation, Fish Farm, Port Operations, Red Location Museum, Major Events, Sport Tourism, the manganese, crude oil refinery project and many other projects aimed at stimulating the local economy. All the stakeholders I have met to date have expressed concern that these projects are at best poorly coordinated or at worst, delayed by indecision.
As you may have had me announce at the morning live breakfast show on 08 July 2015, I have requested Mr Jodwana and Mr Riordan, the MMCs of Economic Development and Treasury to convene a seminar with the departments of the municipality, relevant state owned enterprises, economic development entities the business school of NMMU and business to ensure that we produce a single dashboard which lists all the current and planned projects for the Metro. The dashboard must, among other things, state the project name, date of inception, projected benefits, timeframes, current status, resources required, location, reasons for delay (if any), decision required from council, dependencies, constraints as well as support required from business, provincial and national government.
I am pleased to report that the two Councillors had their first meeting with the Coega Development Corporation, Madiba Bay Development Agency, Uitenhage, Dispatch Development Initiative, Transnet, the Mandela Bay Tourism Agency, Transnet and Portnet on Monday to commence with this work. We will convene a broader stakeholder session within the next four weeks to share these plans and work on the development of a single vision for the Metro.
I am really encouraged by the level of excitement and energy that investors have demonstrated.
I am quite determined to ensure that all the constraints that have delayed the implementation of these projects are dealt with once and for all.
We are currently in the process of finalising the review of the organogram. As part of this process, I am going to request Council to consider the establishment of a directorate in my office which will be responsible for Women, Children and the Aged; Military Veterans; Youth and People with Disabilities. I am appalled by the horrendous crimes perpetrated against the aged. The City must therefore make up its mind on whether the old age homes must be outsourced or placed under its control. Old age homes cannot be used as ATMs by unscrupulous agencies.
I want to ensure that all these sectors receive attention and support from the highest office of the Municipality. On Monday I had a very productive meeting with the Director General of Military Veterans, Mr Tsepe Mosumi. I have invited him to come to the Metro as soon as possible to brief us on the details of their support projects for military veterans from the statutory and non statutory forces.
Today we will also present for approval by Council, the draft of list of standing committees. I am aware that Councillors are all looking forward to active participation in these committees.
In the past four weeks I have had numerous meetings with leaders of communities that are affected by problems related to poor service delivery. These people relate heart breaking stories of their suffering as a result of crime, gangsterism, lack of human settlements and illegal connections. The common theme with all their complaints is that, some of our officials are uncaring and they take too long to resolve their problems. Yesterday I had a meeting with officials from human settlements and energy departments and I made it clear to them once again that this attitude towards our residents cannot be tolerated any longer. Our people deserve to be treated with care, respect and compassion.
I would like to thank the Deputy Executive Mayor, the Chief Whip, and all Councillors who have joined me in the visits to communities and their representatives.
Last Saturday I attended the funeral of the five members of the Piko family who died tragically in a fire accident in Kwa Nobuhle. This family lived in a back yard shack which caught fire while they were trying to keep themselves warm during this brutally cold winter. This is but another reminder of why we must expedite the delivery of services to our people. Officials who interfere with lists must be dealt with decisively.
I want to call on our people to give us more time to address challenges within human settlements. As we do so however, we want to make it absolutely clear that we will not tolerate illegal land invasions. We have instructed the Safety and Security Directorate to liaise with the government security services to ensure this trend is stopped immediately.
In the previous Council meetings I made it clear that we will do everything in our power to root out corruption within our Metro. We are not going to allow corrupt officials to loot the funds intended for development. The reports of the forensic investigations are now being finalised and we will act swiftly on their recommendations. As you may recall, we also instructed the City Manager to ensure that all the resolutions of Council are implemented.
Later in our agenda today we will deliberate on how we intend to deal with these disciplinary matters.
We call on everyone to respect this process and in particular, to respect the rights of the individuals concerned. The processes must unfold without fear, favour or prejudice.
In two days time, on 18 July 2015 we will be celebrating the birthday of the icon after whom our municipality is named, Tata Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. In keeping with his call, many corporates, NGOs, our officials, religious groups and ordinary individuals have, since the beginning of the month, been participating in activities aimed at helping those in need. Your good deeds have not gone unnoticed. We call on more of our residents to collect food, clothes, blankets, toys, uniforms and donate them to those who need them the most. Tomorrow and on Saturday, I together with our Councillors will also participate in the activities of the Nelson Mandela Month. I want our activities to focus on the aged. Accordingly, we will visit some old age homes as well as some of our senior citizens. I also invite you to support the activities of the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation that will be taking place at Embizweni Square and other areas.
We are reminded on this day of our responsibility to improve the conditions of the poor and the destitute. A responsibility that is crucial in our quest to create a prosperous, peaceful and united South Africa. A responsibility that should extend way beyond the 67 minutes of Nelson Mandela Day in the spirit of remembering this great humanitarian who volunteered his life for the betterment of society and South Africa.
Nelson Mandela reminded us:
"Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural. It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the actions of human beings.
And overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.
While poverty persists, there is no true freedom."
Poverty traps people in a trap that is very difficult to escape. This entrapment defines their world As we celebrate Nelson Mandela Day, let us spare a thought for the founding fathers of our democracy, Nobel Laureate Archbishop Emeritus Bishop Tutu who spent his second night in hospital for what doctors describe as a persistent infection. On behalf of the Council, the people of Nelson Mandela Bay and on my own behalf, we wish him a speedy recovery. We thank him for his sacrifices, dedication and selflessness.
Thank you.
