Cape Town - The City Cape Town is set to be divided into four areas, each with its own “mini-mayor”, to better improve service delivery and improve equality and parity of services, the Cape Argus has reliably learnt.
Mayor Patricia de Lille is on Monday due to announce the roll-out of the Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP), which seeks to address apartheid spatial planning and improve the consultative process between the city council and the residents of Cape Town.
The new city structure allows for the mayor to sub-delegate her powers to the four mini-mayors, who will act in her stead to ensure services are delivered in a fair and equitable manner.
The leaders will work together with the mayoral committee members responsible for services to ensure that services are delivered.
In addition to the new structure, the City will also employ the services of community liaison officers to ensure the needs of specific communities are addressed and to act as the middlemen between local government and communities.
The mini-mayors will be required to look after all departments and directorates within their areas and not just basic services like water and sanitation.
The city engaged in consultative processes to ensure the smooth roll-out of the ODTP with all role-players, including unions and the City manager, since March 2015.
The mini-mayors for the four city areas are:
* Councillor Suzette Little, who served in the social development portfolio.
* Councillor Anda Ntsodo, who served as mayco member for communtiy services
* Councillor Eddie Andrews, who served as Mayco member for tourism, events and economic development.
* Councillor Siya Mamkeli, who has served in the health portfolio and, more recently, served as mayco member for Human Settlements.
The mayoral committee will also be restructured to fit in with the City’s “transport-orientated development plan”.
Brett Herron retains his position as head of the City’s Transport portfolio and has been key to the MyCiTi roll-out.
Johan van der Merwe, who served as mayco member for Environment, Energy and Spatial Planning, will head up the finance portfolio.
Corporate Services mayco member Xanthea Limberg, who was crucial to the roll-out of the City’s broadband network, will head up the Informal Settlements, Utilities and Energy portfolio.
Stuart Diamond, who has served as finance portfolio committee chairman, heads up assets and facilities management.
Former Social Development portfolio chairperson Raelene Arendse will head up Corporate Services.
Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith will head up the Social Services and Safety Mayoral Committee.
It’s expected in letters addressed to each of the mayoral committee members and mini-mayors the area leaders will work closely with the portfolio heads to ensure services are delivered directly to the communities.
New sub-council chairs, Section 79 committee chairs and an executive management team are also expected to be named on Monday.
The new city council leadership team will be responsible for “area-based service delivery” across all directorates, including transport and urban development; energy; assets and facilities management; corporate services; finance; informal settlements, water and waste services; safety and security; and social services.
The changes were approved by the first full council sitting after the August 3 municipal elections and came into effect on January 1 this year.
The idea behind the ODTP is to ensure there is parity of service delivery to all areas of Cape Town.