Port Elizabeth - Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Athol Trollip said on Tuesday that his newly appointed mayoral committee team understood the challenges residents faced in the metro.
Trollip made the announcement of the newly elected heads and briefly introduced them at a press conference at Uitenhage Town Hall.
He said the team of highly skilled councillors included members from their coalition partners who form part of the DA-led multi-party government in Nelson Mandela Bay. “I believe this team will equip themselves in a manner which will bring change to peoples lives which was part of our manifesto,” said Trollip.
He then asked the newly elected heads of department to introduce and highlight their credentials to members of the media, saying that under the new administration accessibility to the public would be key. He added that he would make an application with the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Fikile Xasa, to establish Section 79 Committees with appointed chairpersons.
“The objective of this initiative is to ensure that there is a separation of powers, as enshrined in the Constitution and Municipal Structures Act, in order to facilitate effective oversight of the executive.” Trollip said that in the past there had been a blurring of lines of responsibility and authority between the executive, the council and the administration. He said that this in turn led to a breakdown in accountability and an “overbearing dominance” on part of the executive.
Trollip said that few to no political appointments would be made in order to save costs with the intention of ensuring better service delivery.
Meanwhile, newly appointed head of Safety and Security, John Best said that lawlessness on the metro's roads would not be tolerated. Best, who is a retired brigadier, spent 28 years in the police service before moving into the private security sector. He also served in the Metro police established during the 2010 World Cup and believes he has sufficient experience to execute his responsibility in keeping the city safe.
Human Settlements Head, Nqaba Bhanga has a tough road ahead with his department rife with allegations of corruption, tender irregularities and even apparent death threats.
This came to the forefront following the murder of an ANC councillor, Buyisile Mkavu, in 2014. His killer, Bongani Cagwe is currently serving a life sentence. However Bhanga said that he was not scared and would charge on in order to get the job done.
“Many people say you are coming to the worst department, that this department is threatened by criminals. We are not scared, those who are corrupt we are not going to smile with them,” said Bhanga.
The new portfolio heads include:
Budget and Treasury - Retief Odendaal
Public Health - Mongameli Bobani (Deputy Executive Mayor)
Infrastructure and Engineering - Annette Lovemore
Roads and Transport and Integrated Transport System (IPTS) - Rano Kayser
Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture - Andrew Whitfield
Corporate Services - Dean Biddulph
Safety and Security - John Best
Human Settlements - Nqaba Bhanga
Municipal Public Accounts (MPAC) - Lance Grootboom
Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture - Siyasanqa Sijadu
Constituency Services - Shirley Sauls
African News Agency