BUFFALO CITY ADDRESS CARRIES PROMISES OF A BETTER FUTURE, writes Samkelo Ngwenya

Thousands of citizens will be listening in anticipation of a promising future on Thursday 22 June 2017, when Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality Executive Mayor Councillor Xola Pakati will be tabling his maiden State of the Metro Address.

A total of about 1000 delegates from across the length and breadth of the City will converge at the Abbotsford Christian Centre in East London.

The confirmed guest list includes two former BCMM Mayors, the Eastern Cape Premier as well as Members of Provincial the Executive.

It also includes key stakeholders from the City’s strategic partners like the business community, state institutions supporting democracy, public and private entities and developmental agencies.

Community representatives include leadership of political parties, councillors, traditional leaders, civil society leaders, community development workers, sport bodies and ward committees.

The event will be broadcast live on websites, online radio and on all community radio stations in Buffalo City with live updates on the institutions facebook and twitter accounts with the hashtag #BCMMSOMA17.

The theme of the event, which is being held under the broader 2017 government theme being The year of Oliver Tambo, is called Unity in Action, A City hard at work.

Councillor Pakati, who will enter the venue accompanied by the City’s security forces including traffic, law enforcement, fire and SAPS, is expected to arrive at the venue at 09:45 am.

He will be accompanied by the Deputy Executive Mayor Councillor Zoliswa Matana and Council Speaker Councillor Alfred Mtsi.

His day though will start early and momentously, when he will be locked up with the members of the media at his East London City Hall boardroom for the traditional media session which allows members of the fourth estate an opportunity to engage with the Mayor.

Meanwhile at the main venue, newly appointed Municipal Manager Mr Andile Sihlahla will hold the fort until the Executive Mayor arrives.

On arrival, two female officers will receive him and he will be observe the traditional salutes and parades into the front of the main entrance, and will immediately make history as the first in local government to hoist both SA's National Flag along side the AU Flag and to sing both anthems respectively. All these proceedings will also be broadcast in big screens to the audience inside the venue.

The speech itself is an intensive citizenry driven inclusive process which started with a three day Mayoral Lekgotla that developed a five year programme of action going up to 2021.

After various forums were convened to share the road map in expediting development, it was the turn of the people of the City to have a say and shape the speech.

This happened as from 18 April to 12 May during the IDP/Budget Roadshows that involved communities across all 50 wards, organised business and traditional leaders.

During his address, which will last for just over an hour, the Executive Mayor is expected to highlight the achievements of the Municipality in the last financial year; give an outline of major plans for the five years and plans for the next financial year which begins on 01 July 2017.

The Executive Mayor is expected to table how the City will spend its budget and share some of the challenges facing the City relating to service delivery and outline various intervention methods on how the City plans to tackle those challenges.  

With a staff complement of about 5498 employees at BCMM, Councillor Pakati is also expected to outline plans to fill critical vacant posts and deliver messages that centre around inculcating a culture of customer service.

On top of the agenda will be the issue of creating direct and indirect jobs, with the Executive Mayor expected to announce collaborations with other spheres of government that will lead towards this and various other projects that the City will implement in order to create employment.

The Executive Mayor is also expected to announce major injections in rural villages by the City to fight poverty through agriculture following the success of the Buffalo City Fresh Produce Market which is currently ranked fourth out of 18 national fresh produce markets.

He will also announce the division of the City’s R1, 65 billion budget and plans to improve the turnaround on awarding tenders as well as a full implementation of e-procurement system and MSCOA compliance.

In his speech, the Executive Mayor will also talk to the City’s long term financial sustainability and announce a new meter reading system and an implementation of an online prepayment electricity purchasing. A major announcement is expected to be made around upgrading a payment facility in the King Williams Town area in order to cope with the volume of customers.

Other major announcements include plans towards the construction of bulk infrastructure in water and sanitation programs; the revamping of aging infrastructure and the construction of internal services that will be followed by building of thousands of housing units.

Linked to this will be announcements that the Executive Mayor will make regarding commitments to electrify formal and informal dwellings. 

Motorist will be keen on learning about plans to re-gravel and rehabilitate existing roads across the Metro; and the upgrading of roads in areas like Mdantsane, the East London CBD and Gonubie. Public safety issues will also be prioritised with announcements on additional CCTV cameras across the City. This is coupled by the fact that the City is adding more additional law enforcement officers.

One of the key announcements will be around plans by the City to acquire and boost its fleet management which has a direct link towards effective service delivery in areas like waste management, water and electricity and emergency services.

Incidentally, the SOMA coincides with the arrival of the new state of the art R5 million fire truck which will be on display at the SOMA.

This is line with key deliverables that are aimed boosting the City’s economy through the revival of former factory areas including Dimbaza and Mdantsane working together with the Provincial government.