Speech by the City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, at
the full Council meeting on 29 May 2015
Good afternoon, goeie dag, molweni, as-salaam alaikum, shalom.
Mr Speaker, this week we celebrated Africa Day – the international day that
commemorates our continent and its decades of progress.
Africa has had a difficult and far too divided path.
That path has not been universal. The experience of each country on this
continent has been different, though with some recognisable trends.
Over the past two decades, especially with the formation of the African
Union, we have come together more than ever before.
But there is still much work to do.
Many of the bridges that link us economically and politically remain underdeveloped.
And in too many cases, our commitment to human rights remain rhetorical.
This country was lucky to have the help of other African nations during the
dark days of apartheid.
We owe it to our own history to set the example and welcome our fellow
Africans in a South Africa that celebrates its heritage and stake in the
continent.
Unfortunately, it cannot just be good news today.
The City of Cape Town strongly condemns the violent, criminal behaviour of
protestors at the City’s Klipfontein Solid Waste Management depot in Philippi
in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Protestors went on the rampage threatening a security guard with death,
setting buildings and vehicles on fire, and blocking roads to ensure that
emergency personnel could not initially gain access.
It seems that the protest was well orchestrated as roads were blocked off
with concrete blocks and rubble to ensure that as much damage as possible
was done.
Metro Police and the South African Police Service had difficulty gaining
access to burning vehicles and property and had to escort security guards
out.
An initial assessment of the damage shows that five City compactor trucks
were completely burnt out and another three vandalised.
Compactor trucks cost about R2 million on average.
There was also severe damage to several bakkies, rental vehicles and a staff
member’s private vehicle.
The wash bay and the security office were badly damaged by fire.
Initial estimates place the damage at well over R10 million.
This kind of behaviour is unacceptable.
It impacts on service delivery and directly and indirectly affects and
threatens lives.
I condemn it again in the strongest terms and warn the perpetrators that we
will do everything we can to bring them to book.
I also condemn the burning of the house of ANC Councillor Mzuzile
Mpondwana by the people in Marikana in Philippi East.
The false expectation of houses, created by Ses’Khona, has been fanning the
flames in this area.
These unacceptable actions of destruction are also condemned in the
harshest terms.
Mr Speaker, I am pleased to say that we are making great strides as an
innovative and responsible government.
Before the Council today is our proposed policy on contributions.
The Policy on Contributions is the outcome of the corporate social investment
work group in the Social Cluster created to give effect to the fifth objective of
the Social Development Strategy.
In an example of the effectiveness of transversal management, the work
group aims to facilitate and harness the goodwill of people and businesses
working in Cape Town to make progress possible together.
The policy provides the ‘mechanisms that will enable the City to solicit and
accept contributions, thereby enabling the City to better leverage its position
and resources for social and economic development of the City and its
communities’.
Concurrent to this process, the City is the only metro in the country to register
with the South African Revenue Service under the Income Act so that the
City is considered a public benefit organisation and donations to City
projects and programmes are tax deductible and exempt from donations
tax.
The City has also launched a Get Involved webpage with information for
people wanting to volunteer, businesses wanting to donate under their CSI
programmes, and other spaces for collaboration with the private sector and
individuals wanting to make a difference.
The work group did an internal scoping of opportunities in the City and
produced a guide to making a difference, which lists potential projects for
collaboration.
The City has also used our social media platform to give examples of people
who get involved and encourage interested parties to e-mail
get.involved@capetown.gov.za.
This work provides practical examples about how we can make progress
possible together with people living, working, visiting and playing in Cape
Town.
I urge councillors to consider this policy favourably and allow us to work with
private individuals and bodies to give effect to our mandate to work for a
better future for all the residents of our city.
As part of our commitment to being a responsible City, there is also a report
for consideration about expenditure in the unlikely event of a national
electricity crisis.
The City was briefed by provincial representatives of disaster risk
management in March, at the request of National disaster preparations. This
briefing concerned the highly unlikely yet hugely impactful possibility of a
national blackout.
As a well-run city, it is necessary to have contingency plans in place for a
variety of possible disaster events – regardless of how unlikely the occurrence
of such an event may be.
The City of Cape Town must have plans in place for every eventuality and
risk.
In recent times, the possibility of a complete electricity blackout has become
a risk we must plan for, no matter how improbable it may be.
While there may be a small possibility of occurrence, the impact would be
extremely significant for Cape Town and for South Africa. Such an event
would affect basic services and affect almost every aspect of modern life.
It is therefore essential for the City to have a contingency plan in place to
deal with this unlikely event, which could result in power outages of up to two
weeks.
As a responsible administration, the City of Cape Town has started
developing an emergency preparedness plan to manage an extended
outage of electricity supply.
Provisions for this plan have been made in the 2015/16 budget. This will allow
the City to continue to deliver some services, should this unlikely event come
to pass.
We have been engaging with numerous external stakeholders in this regard.
Many City services require electricity to function. A degree of back-up
generator capacity has been installed at some (but not all) critical
infrastructure installations.
As such, the City has had to set aside budget to best manage the possible
consequences of a prolonged electricity outage, including communication,
health and civil management, as well as aiming to ensure that as many
critical City facilities as possible are kept operational.
Progress has been made in the preparation of the contingency plan which
recommends the acquisition of two-way radios, standby generators, and
other necessary material and equipment, together with the printing of
communication material.
Our overall once-off capital expenditure is around R245 million, with just under
R30 million in operating expenditure. The report for consideration is before us
today and accommodations for approval have been made in the budget.
Mr Speaker, I am pleased to say that the work of transforming our
communities continues.
This month, the City handed over five of the unique Ocean View
stonemasonry homes.
To date, 275 of the 344 houses currently under construction in this phase of
the Ocean View project have been handed over.
The first beneficiaries moved into their homes in April 2014 and the remaining
199 houses of the project are estimated to be completed by March 2016.
This brings the total number of houses to 543, at a cost of R46 million for the
project.
The Ocean View housing project is the first of its kind in the country owing to
its unique process and unusual solution of using natural materials found on
site.
The project uses Table Mountain sandstone excavated from the site to build
affordable, resource-efficient and comfortable homes for the qualifying
beneficiaries.
Thanks to this innovative approach to transforming lives, it was selected as a
World Design Capital 2014 project.
Furthermore, the houses blend in with the surrounding natural environment
and the sandstone provides good insulation.
This project continues to create job opportunities for local residents and this
development in Ocean View presented an ideal opportunity to deviate from
conventional housing delivery models.
The feedback we have received so far from beneficiaries has been very
positive and all are more than happy with their new homes.
The City looks forward to the completion of this project and will use the
pioneering practices and initiatives implemented at Ocean View for other
housing projects across the city.
Our housing initiatives in the past month have also extended to creating new
asset owners in the city.
Another 20 families received title deeds from the City in Nyanga this month.
The housing project in Nyanga was developed nine years ago when civil
engineering services were installed for approximately 250 families.
The beneficiaries earmarked for the project came from the nearby informal
settlement and also included backyarders.
The project consists of 241 units. The top structure application was approved
in 2008 and construction started in July that year.
To date, 161 title deed transfers have been completed, and the remainder of
the transfers are still in process.
The beneficiaries of deeds now have proof of ownership of their houses,
which they can use to leverage other opportunities.
But community transformation is not just about building or transferring houses
and property.
It is also about giving people the tools to build lives for themselves.
Three weeks ago, we informed residents of the good news that the proactive
land use application was approved for the Langa Quarter Precinct.
The City obtained the approval to widen the scope of permitted activities in
terms of the zoning scheme and to enable businesses such as restaurants and
guest houses to operate lawfully in this precinct.
This follows a successful piloted approach between the City and non-profit
organisation, iKhaya le Langa, based in the area.
The precinct is home to the Langa Quarter Initiative – a responsible tourism
project driven by iKhaya le Langa. This organisation aims to offer tourists a
mixture of jazz, heritage, arts, culture and food in one of the oldest suburbs in
Cape Town.
We want to assist in addressing potential regulatory barriers as an incentive
for these businesses to grow.
Creating the right conditions for businesses, and jobs, is the major focus of this
government.
That means changing the spatial regimes in places like Langa.
But it also means ensuring that the mechanisms within our own supply chain
encourage local production as much as possible.
The fleet of 20 new 18-metre low-floor Volvo buses that are destined for
Mitchells Plain and Khayelitsha are being made in Blackheath.
These buses are not the first to be assembled by local residents.
In fact, since the opening of the Busmark factory in Blackheath in May 2014,
a total of 62 MyCiTi buses have been assembled, counting among them 20
12-metre low-floor Volvo buses and 42 12-metre high-floor Scania buses.
The 12-metre low-floor buses are already in use on the N2 Express routes, as
are the 42 high-floor buses on the trunk routes to Atlantis and Table View.
Currently, approximately 300 local residents are employed at the Busmark
assembly line in Blackheath.
In addition, at least 50 local businesses are part of the supply chain process
and are directly benefiting from the MyCiTi bus building industry.
Given that most of the components are locally sourced, the bus bodies had
to be newly designed and fabricated and, in the end, are also being
assembled in Cape Town.
And finally, Mr Speaker, the winter months are upon us again – a fact which
means we need to be on heightened alert.
The City of Cape Town’s Social Development and Early Childhood
Development Directorate is finalising the preparations for its annual winter
street people programme.
The programme allows non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to apply for
aid so that they can increase their capacity to deal with the influx of street
people seeking shelter and assistance during the winter months.
The Social Development and Early Childhood Directorate has more than
doubled its available budget for the programme this year, increasing the
allotted funds from R280 000 in 2014 to just over R600 000 this year.
The aid, in the form of food, blankets, mattresses and toiletries, is distributed in
partnership with the Disaster Risk Management Centre and the Western Cape
Government’s Department of Social Development.
Bed space at shelters is funded via the Western Cape Government and the
City liaises with them regarding the additional demand on bed space during
this period.
We have already started procuring the goods and we are now finalising the
application process for NGOs and other civic organisations who would like to
apply for aid.
There is an application form that stipulates the criteria that the organisations
would need to meet as well as the supporting documentation they need to
provide.
Once we have received the applications, we will conduct site visits to ensure
that the information provided is correct, because we have to follow due
process and ensure that public funds are spent responsibly.
In conclusion, we are working hard to be a responsible, well-run city that
cares for its residents.
As the councillors consider the Council recess next month, they should
consider these values.
Councillors should remember that their duties of service do not take a break,
especially in the rainy winter months.
The people of Cape Town are relying on us. We cannot let them down.
Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.