PORT ELIZABETH - DANNY JORDAAN DELIVERS A VERY AMBITIOUS STATE OF THE METRO ADDRESS

Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Danny Jordaan has ambitious plans to strengthen the metro’s administration‚ attract investments and deliver better services.

Jordaan‚ who is also president of the South African Football Association (Safa)‚ has been in office for 12 months‚ after being jettisoned into the metro by the African National Congress.

Delivering his state of the metro address on Thursday‚ he said that under his watch the troubled metro had seen a significant turn-around‚ with improved financial management and service delivery record.

The metro was named and shamed by Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu earlier this month in his 2014/15 report on local governments. The coastal city alone accounted for 42% of the R1‚34-billion of fruitless and wasteful expenditure found across all municipalities. In addition‚ the metro's fruitless and wasteful expenditure amounted to R423-million in the year.

The improved credit rating by international agency Moody’s for the metro last month was evidence of its road to financial recovery‚ Jordaan said.

“You cannot argue against success and progress. Accelerated service delivery continues to be our thread. This is solely as a result of improved efficiencies in the administration. We are not here to make promises‚ but to report on milestones.”

Earlier in the day‚ as Jordaan made his way to the Feathermarket Hall in the CBD‚ a group of municipal workers from different departments protested outside‚ hurling insults at him.

They said their action was in support of their 36 safety and security colleagues who were suspended and fired‚ allegedly for challenging the establishment of the new metro police force.

The protest lasted about 15 minutes‚ before the police came and the crowd dispersed.

Inside the hall‚ Jordaan announced that government would build 7‚000 houses in the metro in the next financial year.

“This also includes paying attention to the so-called toilet city in Khayamnandi (township)”‚ Jordaan said. Two years ago‚ the municipality built hundreds of toilets with the aim of relocating residents to the area. However‚ the relocation process was delayed‚ leading to harsh criticism from opposition parties that government had built toilets without houses.

The administrative stability in the human settlements department‚ especially the housing delivery unit‚ had been restored‚ Jordaan said. “We are in full control of the entire housing delivery value chain and are also rooting out fraud and corruption.”

He said since taking over a year ago‚ the private sector had invested R20-billion in the city‚ which he claimed was a sign of improved public confidence in his team’s leadership.

Jordaan boasted that the city had allocated R20-million for the metro police.

Port Elizabeth’s northern areas - the highly contested communities which the ANC is fighting to win back - would be allocated R200-million.

Jordaan also announced that the city would be creating six cultural hubs in townships to develop arts and culture among the youth.

“If we can achieve all of this in 12 months‚ imagine what we can do in five years‚” Jordaan concluded to loud applause.

The Nelson Mandela Bay council recently passed a R10.8-billion pro-poor budget‚ designed to appease some of the city’s most destitute. Tariff hikes of 9.5% for property rates‚ 9% for water‚ sanitation and refuse and 7.6% for electricity come into effect on July 1.

VIA - timeslive.co.za