SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Joburg mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has apologised to the people of Soweto after yet another cancellation of her meeting with its residents. On Saturday, the mayor was supposed to meet leaders of Operation Dudula and Soweto Parliament as well as residents affected by service delivery issues in the township. However, the mayor called in sick a day before the proposed meeting, which angered some leaders who promised to disturb this week’s council sitting.
The meeting was supposed to provide feedback to the residents of Soweto after the recent Soweto Shutdown which saw residents march to the mayor’s offices in Braamfontein in June.
Some of the issues tabled by residents included Eskom and high electricity bills as well as other service delivery problems.
Speaking on the sidelines of a City of Joburg Women’s Day event, Phalatse apologised to the leaders of Soweto.
“To the people of Soweto, I did send a love letter to say I am really sorry, I am not feeling well. I want our engagement to be meaningful. I did not want to come coughing and making you sick. I will set an alternative date for our meeting. I have reached out to your leadership. Unfortunately, they were unavailable for the meeting… A lot has happened and I realised that you are not always aware of developments that have been happening until now,” Phalatse said.
On matters such as Eskom and other service delivery backlogs, the mayor said she had been in talks with some of the ministers and leaders concerned.
“I have written to various ministers. These include the minister of public enterprise, minister of minerals and energy, minister of finance and Eskom CEO. I have had bilateral talks with Eskom and there have been several engagements,” she said.
The mayor also pleaded with the leadership of Soweto, saying some headway was being made with regard to Eskom.
“There has been so much that has happened to invest in this (Eskom) cause. Please stay committed, we would like to see you switched on and Eskom is also forthcoming. I will be attending a meeting that will be hosted by public enterprise. The MEC for Cogta will also be there, looking at Eskom and how municipalities in Gauteng deal with challenges that we are facing. Hopefully, we will be able to find a new date soon,” she said.