Pretoria - City of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has undertaken to hit the ground running, and has his eyes fixed on stabilising the metro’s finances after the adverse audit report by the auditor-general for 2021/22.
He made known this week that he had crafted at least five core priorities for fast-tracking service delivery for all residents.
The announcement on service delivery priorities was part of the updates he gave to residents this week about his mayoral work since he assumed office nine days ago.
He expressed confidence in his newly formed mayoral committee of 10 members, saying they were fit for purpose, ethical, and ready to serve the people of Pretoria.
He said: “Following the mayoral committee announcement, we immediately got to work on the delayed adjustment budget for the 2022/23 financial year.”
Brink said the city was facing very tight budget deadlines, “so it was important for the team to hit the ground running”.
This was because the city missed its February 28 deadline for passing the adjustment budget and pleaded with the Gauteng province for an extension to do so on April 14.
Without disclosing more information, Brink said that during engagements with his new committee various concerning discoveries were made “that we plan to share with residents in due course”.
“This week, we are continuing to give priority to city finances as we have started work on the draft budget for the 2023/24 financial year. Alongside financial matters, I have had engagements with the city manager, Mr Johann Mettler, to get a briefing on critical governance issues.”
He also interacted with his mayoral staff in a bid to boost their low morale in the wake of the political fight for power in the council.
According to him, it was important that the city has “productive and motivated officials who can deliver services to all residents”.
Part of his five priorities include stabilising the city’s finances by devising and implementing a bold recovery plan that focuses on the core functions of the municipality.
Brink reiterated his intention to reduce the number of unscheduled water and electricity outages, invest in core infrastructure, and mitigate the effects of load shedding.
After his election as mayor on March 28, Brink vowed to reduce Pretoria’s dependence on Eskom, and to find alternative means of supplying electricity to its residents.
His other objective was to improve basic services pertaining to such matters as pothole repairs, street light maintenance and grass cutting.
In addition, he would secure infrastructure assets, main roads and business nodes against criminals by improving the focus and functioning of the Tshwane Metro Police Department.
Lastly, he would instil high levels of productivity and professionalism in city officials through appropriate performance management systems.
Brink said he wanted to build a clean, effective, corruption-free administration and provide a continuous and reliable supply of basic services.
Pretoria News