File
Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Gary van Niekerk, presented a mixed report on his first 100 days in office, noting achievements and promising to redouble efforts to achieve the key objectives that were not met.
At a briefing on Wednesday, he said strides had been made when it came to fixing potholes, repairing water leaks, and getting rid of illegal dumpsites to ensure that residents have a cleaner city.
According to Van Niekerk, 692 illegal connections were disconnected, more than 4,000 water leaks had been repaired, and 185 illegal dumpsites were cleared.
In terms of housing delivery, Van Niekerk said 210 sites were serviced during the period under review with this target being exceeded.
He also noted that 126 housing units in Motherwell were at roof level, with 112 having "finishes and ceilings." The mayor said the commitment to provide serviced sites and 83 housing units were met.
"My own assessment is that we did pretty well," he said in a follow-up video statement while admitting that the delivery of the report was also slightly delayed.
"We felt that we needed to hold ourselves accountable," he said.
The Mayor said the City's top priorities had been to make the city safer, cleaner, and to deal with the prolonged drought.
"I want to thank the residents of the Metro for saving water during the drought. We are now glad to say at least most of our dams are 100% full, just the Impofu Dam is sitting at just over 40%," he noted.
But, Van Niekerk said with regards to safety and security, the City "did not achieve what we wanted to" in terms of making the Metro safer for the residents.
He noted an escalation in crime in the beachfront area, in townships, and in the northern areas where he said the "rise in crime has become astronomical."
With respect to electricity supply, Van Niekerk said a team was established to address temporary connections that become permanent in order to secure our residents.
He also acknowledged that there was a lot of room for improvement" and this was communicated to the top management who "collectively took the decision to deliver a safer city, cleaner city by 15 December."
"What we committed further is that we will be delivering double our efforts in terms of the targets that we set ourselves. We know we can do better," the mayor said.
