Ladies and gentlemen, today, I stand before you, deeply honoured and grateful to have received the nomination of the governing multi-party coalition to serve as the first Deputy Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane.
I am humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me by the ActionSA leadership and our coalition partners. Most importantly, I respect the voters of our Capital City who have placed their trust in a coalition for our Capital City to be a source of pride to all.
The opportunity to serve the residents of Tshwane is one that I do not take lightly, and I am fully committed to dedicating my time, energy, and expertise to the betterment of our great Capital City.
I fully appreciate that the task that lays before me is a mammoth one, but it is a necessary one to ensure the enduring stability of services to my fellow residents of Tshwane.
Before I continue, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the wisdom and foresight of Mr. Herman Mashaba, who founded our political party and extended an invitation to South Africans, like myself, to use it as a vehicle to serve society. I am grateful for his vision and leadership, which has paved the way for me to make a positive impact.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to join a diverse and dedicated team of men and women who are part of the ActionSA caucus, coalition, and council that started this journey in 2021. As a resident of this City, I have witnessed their efforts in building this City and serve its residents. Their work has laid a solid foundation for the work ahead.
As stated in the Chairperson’s introduction, I am not new to Tshwane. I have served this great city in different iterations in the last term of office.
First as Group Head: Office of the Chief Whip then as Chief of Staff: Office of the Executive Mayor.
I note the concerns and skepticism of the opposition in council regarding the creation of the Deputy Executive Mayor position. Let me assure the opposition that this position is not about prestige but about delivery and the opposition will find my door open if they would like to rise above partisan politics and prioritise the needs of their communities.
So, what does the position of the Deputy Executive Mayor entail?
In addition to deputizing as outlined in the legislation, this role brings with it a unique opportunity to focus on transversal functions related to infrastructure development, repairs, and maintenance. Specifically, my responsibilities will include:
- Overseeing capital projects: I will ensure that major development initiatives are effectively managed, monitored, and completed in a timely manner. By providing strong leadership and coordination, we can deliver infrastructure projects that meet the needs of our residents and contribute to the economic growth of our city.
- Overseeing service delivery at the regional level: It is essential that services are efficiently delivered to all regions of Tshwane. Through collaboration with various stakeholders and close coordination with MMCs deployed in regions, I will work tirelessly to ensure that residents in every corner of our city receive the services they deserve.
- Working with the COO portfolio: Effective administrative support is essential for the successful implementation of infrastructure projects and service delivery improvements. By working closely with the Chief Operating Officer portfolio, we can streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and ensure that resources are allocated optimally to achieve tangible results for residents.
I believe that anyone who has witnessed the past 2 years of this term of office will appreciate how important these functions will be to a City that has demonstrated some blind spots that an extra set of eyes in leadership will most certainly help to address.
By having a coordinated approach to infrastructure and service delivery, we can achieve numerous benefits. One of the key advantages is the proper coordination of how funds are allocated across various projects.
By following the money, we can track expenditures, prevent wastage, and ensure that resources are directed where they are needed most. Through this coordinated approach, we can maximize the benefits to our residents and enhance the quality and efficiency of service delivery.
Through our collective efforts, it is imperative that we put an end to under-expenditure of the capital budget, reduce the return of grants to national government, and decrease the number of incomplete projects in our city. By actively addressing these issues, we can build trust among residents and stakeholders, attract further investment, and create the positive change the residents of Tshwane deserve.
On the other hand, I will continue with the work of my colleague, Cllr Peggy De Bruin, in the Community and Social Development portfolio. I have watched Cllr De Bruin work tirelessly in the past 2 years to serve the residents to realise social and economic justice through programmes such as EPWP, ECD, indigent programmes, libraries, sports and recreation and art development, among others.
I take the baton with a full appreciation that the journey of social and economic justice is continuous, and overseeing this portfolio will involve not only sustaining but also building upon the existing foundations to deliver these services to the residents of Tshwane.
To ActionSA’s coalition partners I express my appreciation for your endorsement of my candidature. The past two years has not always been smooth sailing from a coalition standpoint but I offer my personal assurance that I have no interest in party politics. My only interest in this role is to see an effective coalition delivering to all of the residents of our capital city and, on this, you will find we are all on the same side.
In conclusion, I am deeply honoured to accept the nomination as Deputy Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane. I pledge my commitment to this role, knowing that it is a responsibility that goes beyond personal motives.
Stabilising Service Delivery Will be the Priority as First Ever Tshwane Deputy Mayor
Ladies and gentlemen, today, I stand before you, deeply honoured and grateful to have received the nomination of the governing multi-party coalition to serve as the first Deputy Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane.
I am humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me by the ActionSA leadership and our coalition partners. Most importantly, I respect the voters of our Capital City who have placed their trust in a coalition for our Capital City to be a source of pride to all.
The opportunity to serve the residents of Tshwane is one that I do not take lightly, and I am fully committed to dedicating my time, energy, and expertise to the betterment of our great Capital City.
I fully appreciate that the task that lays before me is a mammoth one, but it is a necessary one to ensure the enduring stability of services to my fellow residents of Tshwane.
Before I continue, I would be remiss not to acknowledge the wisdom and foresight of Mr. Herman Mashaba, who founded our political party and extended an invitation to South Africans, like myself, to use it as a vehicle to serve society. I am grateful for his vision and leadership, which has paved the way for me to make a positive impact.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to join a diverse and dedicated team of men and women who are part of the ActionSA caucus, coalition, and council that started this journey in 2021. As a resident of this City, I have witnessed their efforts in building this City and serve its residents. Their work has laid a solid foundation for the work ahead.
As stated in the Chairperson’s introduction, I am not new to Tshwane. I have served this great city in different iterations in the last term of office.
First as Group Head: Office of the Chief Whip then as Chief of Staff: Office of the Executive Mayor.
I note the concerns and skepticism of the opposition in council regarding the creation of the Deputy Executive Mayor position. Let me assure the opposition that this position is not about prestige but about delivery and the opposition will find my door open if they would like to rise above partisan politics and prioritise the needs of their communities.
So, what does the position of the Deputy Executive Mayor entail?
In addition to deputizing as outlined in the legislation, this role brings with it a unique opportunity to focus on transversal functions related to infrastructure development, repairs, and maintenance. Specifically, my responsibilities will include:
I believe that anyone who has witnessed the past 2 years of this term of office will appreciate how important these functions will be to a City that has demonstrated some blind spots that an extra set of eyes in leadership will most certainly help to address.
By having a coordinated approach to infrastructure and service delivery, we can achieve numerous benefits. One of the key advantages is the proper coordination of how funds are allocated across various projects.
By following the money, we can track expenditures, prevent wastage, and ensure that resources are directed where they are needed most. Through this coordinated approach, we can maximize the benefits to our residents and enhance the quality and efficiency of service delivery.
Through our collective efforts, it is imperative that we put an end to under-expenditure of the capital budget, reduce the return of grants to national government, and decrease the number of incomplete projects in our city. By actively addressing these issues, we can build trust among residents and stakeholders, attract further investment, and create the positive change the residents of Tshwane deserve.
On the other hand, I will continue with the work of my colleague, Cllr Peggy De Bruin, in the Community and Social Development portfolio. I have watched Cllr De Bruin work tirelessly in the past 2 years to serve the residents to realise social and economic justice through programmes such as EPWP, ECD, indigent programmes, libraries, sports and recreation and art development, among others.
I take the baton with a full appreciation that the journey of social and economic justice is continuous, and overseeing this portfolio will involve not only sustaining but also building upon the existing foundations to deliver these services to the residents of Tshwane.
To ActionSA’s coalition partners I express my appreciation for your endorsement of my candidature. The past two years has not always been smooth sailing from a coalition standpoint but I offer my personal assurance that I have no interest in party politics. My only interest in this role is to see an effective coalition delivering to all of the residents of our capital city and, on this, you will find we are all on the same side.
In conclusion, I am deeply honoured to accept the nomination as Deputy Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane. I pledge my commitment to this role, knowing that it is a responsibility that goes beyond personal motives.