Service delivery achievements and challenges in the Buffalo City Metro (BCM) have been compiled into a series of videos that will be loaded onto social media sites.
The initiative – dubbed We Are Not Done Yet, #weareinthis2gether or #sikunyekulento – started last week with snippets of footage showcasing service delivery work in housing, electricity, roads, tourism, sports, refuse and solid waste being released.
These were posted on Facebook or sent via e-mail and WhatsApp by the metro’s communications department to highlight local government achievements since 2011.
Metro spokesman Keith Ngesi said the snippets were a teaser of professionally produced material which was planned to be loaded on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in January.
Ngesi said BCM was elevated to a metro in 2001 and next year marks the end of its first local government term as one.
“The council therefore felt it was necessary to reflect on the successes stories while acknowledging areas where we have encountered some challenges.”
Daily Dispatch has seen five of the videos.
On water and sanitation, the metro highlights work that has been done to bring water to areas where people used to travel long distances to get water and the presence of toilets in areas where there were once none.
At the end of the footage a voice-over artist says: “Council acknowledges that more needs to be done but is pleased with what has been achieved since 2011.”
Housing snippets showcase RDP houses that have been built and highlight the national awards received for projects such as Second Creek.
The Gonubie Main Road and the Gonubie and Beacon Bay link road were cited as ongoing projects in footage focusing on road works.
Investments in refuse trucks, tractors and street sweepers were mentioned in the video on refuse and solid waste, while the challenge of non-collection of refuse was also acknowledged.
“Council is fully aware of the challenges faced in this directorate and is currently advertising the post of the head of the department,” said Ngesi.
The image of five-year-old Elethu Xakatha from Cambridge location, killed when he came in contact with illegal electricity connections, was used to highlight the challenge of izinyoka.
facebook users, who have seen and shared the videos posted by Ngesi, described them as “powerful” while BCM PAC councillor Jerome Mdyolo said this was “a great initiative”.
However, the South African Civic Organisation convener in the region, Xolani Somaca, said there was nothing to showcase.
“BCM has done nothing in the past five years that brings joy to the ordinary citizens. This report is a joke. Service delivery should not only be about quantity but quality,” said Somaca.
Chairman for the BCM Ratepayers’ Association, Andre Swart, said while it was a good initiative to inform the public on service delivery issues, it was “useless” without proper planning.
“BCM needs to step up their responsibility because everything has gone to the dogs,” said Swart.
Swart made examples of uncollected waste and the bad state of the roads.
Mixed reaction to BCM’s new infomercials
The initiative – dubbed We Are Not Done Yet, #weareinthis2gether or #sikunyekulento – started last week with snippets of footage showcasing service delivery work in housing, electricity, roads, tourism, sports, refuse and solid waste being released.
These were posted on Facebook or sent via e-mail and WhatsApp by the metro’s communications department to highlight local government achievements since 2011.
Metro spokesman Keith Ngesi said the snippets were a teaser of professionally produced material which was planned to be loaded on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in January.
Ngesi said BCM was elevated to a metro in 2001 and next year marks the end of its first local government term as one.
“The council therefore felt it was necessary to reflect on the successes stories while acknowledging areas where we have encountered some challenges.”
Daily Dispatch has seen five of the videos.
On water and sanitation, the metro highlights work that has been done to bring water to areas where people used to travel long distances to get water and the presence of toilets in areas where there were once none.
At the end of the footage a voice-over artist says: “Council acknowledges that more needs to be done but is pleased with what has been achieved since 2011.”
Housing snippets showcase RDP houses that have been built and highlight the national awards received for projects such as Second Creek.
The Gonubie Main Road and the Gonubie and Beacon Bay link road were cited as ongoing projects in footage focusing on road works.
Investments in refuse trucks, tractors and street sweepers were mentioned in the video on refuse and solid waste, while the challenge of non-collection of refuse was also acknowledged.
“Council is fully aware of the challenges faced in this directorate and is currently advertising the post of the head of the department,” said Ngesi.
The image of five-year-old Elethu Xakatha from Cambridge location, killed when he came in contact with illegal electricity connections, was used to highlight the challenge of izinyoka.
facebook users, who have seen and shared the videos posted by Ngesi, described them as “powerful” while BCM PAC councillor Jerome Mdyolo said this was “a great initiative”.
However, the South African Civic Organisation convener in the region, Xolani Somaca, said there was nothing to showcase.
“BCM has done nothing in the past five years that brings joy to the ordinary citizens. This report is a joke. Service delivery should not only be about quantity but quality,” said Somaca.
Chairman for the BCM Ratepayers’ Association, Andre Swart, said while it was a good initiative to inform the public on service delivery issues, it was “useless” without proper planning.
“BCM needs to step up their responsibility because everything has gone to the dogs,” said Swart.
Swart made examples of uncollected waste and the bad state of the roads.
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