Masualle and exco to visit BCM communities

Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle and his executive council are getting their hands dirty today, visiting several communities in Buffalo City Metro.

This is the second leg of the executive council’s outreach programme to assess the province’s municipalities.

Their first stop was Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, where they received first-hand information on what metro leaders were doing right, and on service-delivery bottlenecks.

The Daily Dispatch reported two weeks ago the exco’s visit to BCM had been shelved until today, due to changes in the political leadership in the metro.

The ANC last month fired former executive mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and deputy mayor Temba Tinta. Alfred Mtsi took over the reins as mayor and Xola Pakathi was made deputy mayor.

The premier’s spokeswoman, Nomfanelo Kota, said the visit had been delayed to allow the new incumbents to settle in.

The metro is faced with serious infrastructure backlogs, including roads being in a poor state; vandalism of unoccupied, newly-built RDP houses; illegal electricity connections, and bungles in the rates billing system, to mention a few.

Mxolisi Spondo, a spokesman in the premier’s office, said yesterday Masualle and his executive would spend today and tomorrow criss-crossing communities in Buffalo City “to provide opportunities for speedier delivery of services, to identify and address quick-wins that will provide immediate impact on the lives of the poor”.

The exco will today be briefed by the metro leadership and other stakeholders before holding public meetings with ratepayers across the metro tomorrow.

The delegation is divided into groups, and their tasks tomorrow include:

• Masualle, health MEC Phumza Dyantyi and social development MEC Nancy Sihlwayi visiting residents at the Gompo community hall to discuss pressing issues such as housing backlogs, the bad condition of roads, electrification and illegal connections, youth unemployment and sanitation;
• Human settlements MEC Helen Sauls-August and sport, recreation, arts and culture MEC Pemmy Majodina visiting the Reeston community to discuss, among other issues, illegal occupation of RDP houses, unemployment, scholar transport and illegal electricity connections;
• Safety and liaison MEC Weziwe Tikana and education MEC Mandla Makupula meeting the community of ward 24, which includes parts of Mdantsane, Mbekweni, Unit P, Zinkomeni and Kanana, at the Mbekweni community hall to discuss delays in building RDP houses, a lack of high schools, the state of health facilities, sanitation infrastructure backlogs, and how to curb crime and drug abuse in the areas;
• Public works MEC Thandiswa Marawu meeting the community of ward 31 at Bhongweni community hall. Spondo said issues that would be discussed included illegal occupation of land, access to piped water, and sanitation challenges;
• Cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa meeting the community of ward 32 in Tsholomnqa. Some of the challenges facing the area include unemployment and crime; and
• Rural development and agrarian reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane and treasury and economic development MEC Sakhumzi Somyo visiting ward 36 in Dimbaza to discuss housing issues and electricity challenges in the area.

Spondo said the visits would “track the implementation of government’s undertakings”. — zineg@dispatch.co.za