"We
will hit the road running and we will have our first Mayoral Committee
meeting tomorrow to deal with urgent matters". That was the
Executive Mayor's commitment when she announced the new Mayoral
Committee.
Dr. Gwen Ramokgopa, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, has officially
announced the new Mayoral Committee who will serve the City of Tshwane
Metropolitan Municipality and the people of Tshwane.
"Now that the committee has been appointed, our immediate
task is to develop a five-year strategic programme of action in
line with our plan to make local government work better”,
said the Executive Mayor before announcing the committee members.
“The strategy will seek to build on the successes of the
past five years and take the development of the city to a higher
level.”
She stated that the mandate given to the ANC by the electorate
required that “We –
• accelerate service delivery so that all communities have
access to clean water and decent sanitation by 2010, that all houses
have access to electricity by 2012, and that there be universal
provision of free basic water;
• improve the way we provide housing while ensuring better
quality houses closer to economic opportunities, and that corruption
in the administration of waiting lists be combated;
• improve services at clinics and other municipal centres
in our communities;
• implement large projects that will create more work opportunities;
• pool resources to build more and better roads, and infrastructure
for water and sanitation;
• implement special projects, such as assistance in setting
up food gardens in living areas of the very poor; and
• use skills and other forms of support to assist those who
want to set up small businesses.”.
The Executive Mayor emphasised that the electorate mandate will
guide them when they develop their strategic programme of action
and that the members of the Mayoral Committee will be instrumental
in implementing the strategic programme.
In selecting the members of the Mayoral Committee, Dr Ramokgopa
said, “The strength of the team is in the range of political,
professional and organisational skills they possess”.
Dr Ramokgopa announced the following members of the restructured
Mayoral Committee:
• Sonto Sophie Thipe will be responsible for Electricity.
She has been a councillor since 1994. She joined the Tshwane Metro
Council in 2000 and has served in City Planning, Electricity, and
Corporate Services.
• Patricia Chueu will be responsible for Housing, City Planning
and Environmental Management. She became a councillor in 1999 and
was appointed as Member of the Mayoral Committee responsible for
Social Development in 2000. She was later appointed to Roads and
Stormwater.
• Tessa Ernest will take responsibility for Local Economic
Development. She serves on the boards of various NGOs active in
the fields of gender advocacy, and HIV and AIDS. She joined the
council in 2000. She has worked for Lawyers for Human Rights in
the finance department and was involved in advocating socio-economic
rights in the gender project.
• Zodwa Masondo will be responsible for Social Development.
She has been a councillor since 1995 serving in the Northern Pretoria
Metro sub-structure and served on its Executive Committee. From
2000 to 2006 she was a member of the Water and Sanitation portfolio
committee.
• Annette De Klerk will take charge of Finance. She is a former
CEO of the Institute of Commercial and Financial Accountants. She
joined the Tshwane Metro Council in 2000 and has served on the Finance
portfolio committee. She has also served on the Human Resource portfolio
committee before it was restructured. She also served on the Mayor’s
special advisory committee on Corporate Services.
• William Mahlangu will be in charge of Community Safety
and Emergency Services. He is a former MMC for Corporate Services
and a former chairperson of the Hammanskraal Local Executive Council.
In 1999 he was the chair of the Eastern Gauteng Regional Services
Council.
• Absalom Ditshoke will take charge of the Inner City portfolio.
He served as Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Safety
in the previous council. He is a former interim mayor of the Ga-rankuwa
transitional council.
• Shadrack Dlamini will be responsible for Water and Sanitation.
Dlamini was a member of the Mayoral Committee from 2002 to 2005
responsible for City Planning and Environmental Management. He has
also served as Mayor of Winterveldt after the 1994 elections.
• Subesh Pillay will be responsible for Roads, Stormwater
and Public Transport. He has been councillor since 1995 serving
in the former Pretoria City Council. From 1998 to 2000 he was in
the Executive Committee of the Greater Pretoria Metropolitan Council
in the Electricity and Finance portfolios. He was elected to the
City of Tshwane in 2000 and was appointed as Chief Whip of Council
from 2003 to 2006.
• Advocate Kamela Cedric Kekana will be responsible for Corporate
Services. Advocate Kekana held the portfolio of Roads, Stormwater
and Public Transport in the Tshwane Mayoral Committee from 2002
to 2005. He was also a member of the Gauteng Provincial Transport
Consultative Forum.
The Executive Mayor concluded with the words: “We reaffirm
our commitment to the ANC’s code of conduct and pledge ourselves
to work with the communities and to uphold sound governance practices
as well as a corruption free administration”.
