Speech by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town,
Alderman Patricia de Lille on the occasion of a full
Council sitting on Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Good morning, goeie more, molweni,
Mr. Speaker, in the past week, the country received some very sad
news with the death of the former chief justice, Pius Langa.
Justice Langa dedicated his life to the struggle for human rights and
the concept of meaningful justice for all.
He carried these passions with him to his distinguished work on the
bench.
Like the very best public servants, he conducted his duties with
humility and grace, quietly cementing his legacy as one of the
foremost jurists of our democratic age.
I would like to request a moment’s silence to remember him and also
the seven Cape Town police officers who have lost their lives in the
past five weeks: Mthunzi Mbonjwa; Thabo Mdzwana; Brendon Mapoe;
Dumile Thethani; Lungisa Depha; Landile Yengo; and Bafundi Mdalo.
Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I reported to this Council that it was our objective to
make Cape Town a world-class city.
Part of that means projecting the very best of ourselves to the rest of
the globe.
Given this, I am proud to say that our great city was a successful host
for President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle.
Some of us were privileged to be present at the University of Cape
Town when he announced his historic $7 billion investment in energy
infrastructure in Africa.
I am pleased to formally announce that President and Mrs. Obama
have both formally accepted the freedom of the City of Cape Town.
They are in excellent company, joining the likes of Dr. Richard van der
Ross, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and former president Nelson
Mandela, Tata Madiba.
Mr. Speaker, as this Council knows, we have dedicated this year to
honouring Madiba in his lifetime.
Since launching the ‘Cape Town Honours Nelson Mandela’ campaign
earlier this year, we have been able to promote his legacy of
leadership to the people of the city through a few major initiatives.
I have no doubt that everyone is aware of Madiba’s face on the side of
the Civic Centre.
And within this building itself, the centre of our city government, we
have an open exhibition commemorating the most significant events of
his life.
Since its opening, people have come from all over the metro to view it,
thereby helping us remind people of the values that his leadership
inspires in all of us.
There are people here today of all races here, of all backgrounds.
That is thanks to Madiba’s leadership.
His leadership has allowed us in South Africa, and the world, to
recognise: our unity in diversity; have a commitment to non-racialism;
to strive for the attainment of dignity; and have respect for the
sanctity of human rights.
Indeed, I recall something that former president Mandela said when
addressing the United Nations in 1993, and I quote:
‘We are aware that by our common actions we have sought not only
the liberation of the people of South Africa but also the extension of
the frontiers of democracy, non-racial, non-sexism and human
solidarity throughout the world.’
We are doing our part to ensure that the message of hope he carried
to South Africa remains alive, not only in our public discourse but in
our hearts.
In this late stage of his life, especially amidst his recent health
challenges, we wish Madiba the very best.
Mr. Speaker, the leadership values of Tata speak to the kind of city we
are trying to build, one that belongs to everyone.
That Cape Town of the future is built on the five pillars: the
opportunity city; the safe city; the caring city; the inclusive city; and
the well-run city.
Together, our pillars underpin our pledge to our residents that we are
working hard to help them make their lives better through our
programme of action.
To complement our broader plan, Council has before it our Broad
Incentives and Supply Chain Management Policies.
We have already approved hard financial incentives for the Atlantis
area.
We now need to extend our scope by ensuring that we have the means
to attract business to areas throughout the metro by publicising
incentives across all the levels of our government and by reorganising
our structures to accommodate business.
Furthermore, we need to ensure that when we receive revenue and
look to spend it, that we do so with the greatest degree of
transparency and accountability.
As such, I ask this Council to approve both policies to help give further
life to the City’s plan for government.
Every government plan, however, must have the resources to back it
up.
There need to be capable and competent people willing to execute the
necessary actions; budgets in place; and the ability and capacity to
use those budgets.
One of the great tragedies of democratic South Africa is that, even
though we may not have all the resources we ideally need to meet our
social challenges, we often do not spend the money we do have.
While there are many reasons for this, there is often one tragic cause:
a basic lack of skills in using resources to deliver programmes and
budgets.
This problem is especially serious in local government.
Given that it a basic function of management to ensure that budgets
get spent and that people have the skills to spend them, there is much
work to be done in reforming our state bureaucracy, as has been
correctly identified by the National Development Plan (NDP).
I am pleased to say that the City of Cape Town remains a centre of
excellence is demonstrating that sound management, rigorous political
guidance and the burning desire to deliver on a mandate can achieve
results.
Mr. Speaker, last week I announced that the City has spent a record
R5,78 billion in our capital budget for the 2012/2013 financial year.
This is a figure of 92,9% of our intended capital budget of R6, 22
billion.
Breaking down the figures, the most significant spending areas were in
Roads and Transport, where we spent R2,5 billion; in Utilities with R2
billion; in Human Settlements with R570 million; and in repairs and
maintenance with a record spend of R2,6 billion.
In total, this is R1,54 billion more than our capital expenditure last
year.
The capital budget has shown our commitment to infrastructure-led
investment and for expenditure that assists all of the people of this
city, especially the poor.
As a result of the City’s performance on capital expenditure, we have
been able to create 37 000 job opportunities through the Expanded
Public Works Programme (EPWP).
We have also been able to spend 95% of our national allocated Urban
Settlement Development Grant (USDG).
This has allowed us to build more integrated communities and to
upgrade our urban environment, especially the services we provide to
informal settlements.
This spending is no accident.
It is the result of dedicated strategy that I put in place to improve
spending in the City.
These improvements include improved tender demand and supply
chain management; faster turnaround times for tender appeals;
extensive monthly reporting systems;
project management training; and improved due diligence processes.
I am pleased to report that in managing the money that the public has
entrusted us with, we are maintaining the highest level of financial
management in the country as demonstrated not only by our record
capital spend but by our eight consecutive unqualified audits and the
highest credit rating for local government.
I would like to thank the City’s new diverse management team, who
have now experienced their first full financial year under this
administration: Kevin Jacoby; Tshidi Mayimele-Hashate; Melissa
Whitehead; Richard Bosman; Zandile Mahlangu-Mathibela; Japie Hugo;
Anton Groenewald; Seth Maqetuka; Gerhard Ras; Gisela Kaiser; Ivan
Bromfield and Lokiwe Mtwazi.
And of course a very big thanks to our deputy city manager, Mike
Marsden and our city manager, Achmat Ebrahim.
Of course, as much as we must celebrate our successes, we must also
acknowledge our shortcomings.
Earlier this month, there was a deeply regrettable incident involving
Mr. Lunga Gooman Nono, a busker in Greenmarket Square.
In attempting to carry out their duties, city law enforcement officers
displayed conduct unbecoming of our commitment to building a caring
city.
The City has responded swiftly to deal with this matter. Within days of
the incident, three officers have been suspended and they will face
disciplinary action.
I also instructed the relevant departments to review any and all
regulations governing busking so that we can ensure that we create an
appropriate and enabling environment for street musicians.
I am pleased that as part of this process that, before Council today is a
request to repeal the Policy for Street Musicians, dating from 1993
while I have also requested that the EESP portfolio committee consider
possible revisions regarding busking to our upcoming Informal Trading
by-law.
I think we should learn from this incident and continue to acknowledge
that the overwhelming majority of our law enforcement officers and
metro police officers help keep us safe, in often dangerous and difficult
circumstances.
Their invaluable contribution should not be overshadowed by an
isolated incident, especially at a time when a number of police officers
across services have lost their lives in recent weeks in the city.
These deaths have come from the ranks of the South African Police
Service (SAPS).
While the SAPS are a national competency, we must not forget that
these officers gave their lives while serving the people of Cape Town.
As such, I am formally announcing that the City of Cape Town is
offering a R50 000 reward to any person who can information that will
lead to the arrest and conviction of one of these cop-killers.
It is my sincere hope that this measure will help bring these criminals
to justice.
Also before Council today is a recommendation to the MEC for Local
Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning to
amend the urban edge in the Phillipi area.
The urban edge is an artificial barrier that assists the City with
planning and which can be moved or amended as needs require.
This recommendation, which flows from Mayco, is based on Mayco
rescinding its decision from November of last year, which is perfectly in
order in terms of the law and given the fact that all of these matters
are publicly debated in Mayco.
When we made its original recommendation last year, we did not have
all of the facts at our disposal.
Since that time, research from the Strategic Policy Unit (SPU) has
established what the facts on the ground in this part of Phillipi are,
thereby providing us with the information we needed to inform our
recommendations.
Not only was the area in question not being aggressively farmed across
all plots but the people there have indicated that they want to sell their
land for development.
They want to do so for various reasons, including increased security
threats, unavoidable urban creep and the fact that of those families
that were involved in farming, most of them in that particular portion
wished to stop farming and move out of the area.
Some of these feelings were partly motivated by the fact that housing
is being planned very nearby which would sterilise the land even more
than it has already been by existing urban activities.
These facts were determined by numerous engagements with the
people in Phillipi by me and others in search of solutions for a
population over-densification in that portion of the city.
Given these facts, City leaders were led to consider how we could
accommodate such rapidly changing circumstances on the ground
while also weighing up the implications for sustainability, especially for
the other parts of Phillipi where other people wished to continue
farming.
We decided that we should review our previous delay of the application
and make a recommendation to Council to consider the matter of the
urban edge for Minister Bredell to make a final determination on.
This recommendation has been supported by numerous stakeholders in
the area, including the United South Africa Agricultural Association.
This recommendation would accommodate these irreversible realities
while also preserving a portion of the PHA that would be more than
capable to sustain the current measures of agricultural production
especially given that large tracts of the PHA are not currently actively
farmed.
Approximately 1000 hectares of land is required to maintain current
levels of agricultural production of just over 80 000 tonnes per annum
in Phillipi.
This application would affect 280 hectares of land in the southern part
of Phillipi, leaving much more than the required 1000 hectares needed
for farming.
I believe that this is the responsible thing to do because it is our duty
to adjust our strategies to accommodate changing circumstances and I
urge Council to make the necessary recommendation to Minister
Bredell.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to also provide this Council with an update on
our ‘Know Your Community, Know Your Contractor’ Service Level
Agreement (SLA) campaign.
I am so passionate about getting all of residents involved in making
sure that they get the very best delivery that I personally led this
campaign.
For each of the major areas where contractors work, we prepared
easy-to-use brochures that listed the contractors, the services they are
responsible for and how to contact the City if they are not performing.
Clear and concise information was provided to communities on how to
identify the relevant contractors, the service expected in their community
with regard to solid waste and sanitation services and how best to report
shortcomings - including, the use of City provided free call lines.
It is therefore deeply regrettable that a number of these meetings were
disrupted, in many instances by individuals with identifiable connections to
the ANC Youth League.
Their actions selfishly served to undermine the rights of hundreds of law
abiding citizens who wanted to receive and discuss this information at the
public meetings.
I understand the right to protest.
I also understand the right to speak truth to power and make your
case, no matter how difficult that might seem.
I fought for those rights and I have used them myself when taking on
the power of the state in exposing the corruption of the arms deal.
But the right to protest and make your opinion known stops when it
infringes on the rights of other people.
It stops when your fellow citizens feel too intimidated to express their
own grievances.
It stops when the abuse of the right to protest causes it to lose its
social power.
People who had come to engage with me and share their concerns
around contractors were effectively silenced.
I can think of no greater disregard for the poor than robbing them of
their platform to speak.
However, the City will not be deterred - we have made this information
available to residents in all the areas targeted by the campaign through
posters and pamphlets.
In terms of our successes with the campaign so far, we have had an impact
in the following areas:
Our campaign has already reached people in Seawinds, Block 6,
Philippi, in Kosovo, in Imizamo Yethu, Du Noon, TR, QQ, France,
Kanana, Europe and Freedom Farm.
Going forward we will use all available platforms, including direct
communication through posters, pamphlets and radio to provide residents
with the information necessary to become partners with the City in ensuring
the highest level of service delivery possible.
I call on all parties, especially the ANC, to ensure that our attempts to reach
out to residents are respected more than the possibility of scoring cheap
political points.
In conclusion Mr. Speaker, let me say that as optimistic as I am, I am not
sure that my colleagues in the opposition can quite help themselves when it
comes to making politics while the sun shines.
And we should admire their bravery because they never let things like the
facts or the law get in the way of a wrong-headed strategy.
I think that kind of arrogance takes courage- it is certainly not something I
would be capable of.
For example, the leader of the opposition in Council, Mr. Tony Ehrenreich,
recently threatened me with a strike to give in to his demand for shift
allowances for pregnant fire fighters.
The City is bound by a collective bargaining agreement with the respective
unions, SAMWU and IMATU, from 2007.
This agreement, which is in place until a new one is reached, allows for a
shift allowance for fire officers and fighters when they are on standby at a fire
station, working at night, on public holidays or on the call-out roster.
When a fire fighter is pregnant, she is taken off operational duty and is
assigned light duties.
This is consistent with our agreement with the unions and allows us to ensure
the safety of pregnant employees.
After going through the CCMA without resolution, SAMWU has chosen to go
the Labour Court, as is their right.
As is the usual procedure, we are bound to adhere to the conditions of our
agreement in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act while both
parties explore the matter in a proper legal forum without debating the
matter publicly because of the danger of unfairly prejudicing all parties
involved.
This is standard labour practice that protects the employer and the employee.
But it is not good enough for Mr. Ehrenreich who has flouted all of these
conventions in his desire to see his name in the newspaper.
In his world, the rights of workers come in distant second place after his own
ego.
We have a labour framework in South Africa.
COSATU are key backers of that framework.
I therefore do not know if Mr. Ehrenreich does not care about what his
organisation’s policy actually is or whether he simply does not know it.
Both are equally disturbing for the workers who put their faith in him.
For our part, we will continue to respect labour processes so that everyone
can get a fair deal.
We are serious about getting all stakeholders to take this City to the next
level of government, including opposition parties and organised labour.
And maybe if the ANC and COSATU are equally serious about the future of
Cape Town, they will send us some representatives that we can take
seriously.
Thank you, baie dankie, enkosi.