By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
ActionSA has unveiled a new service delivery tracker for the City of Tshwane, it provides a transparent view of the progress made to date, and highlights areas that still require improvement.
The tracker is updated in real time, based on data that is shared with the party from the City of Tshwane, and it can be accessed through the party’s website.
It is split into five key governance monitoring areas; financial stability, infrastructure and service delivery; economic revitalisation; safe and clean city and governance and customer care.
At a media briefing in Pretoria on Tuesday, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba stated that the current administration inherited a city “on the brink of collapse”, claiming finances were in disarray, townships deeply neglected and alleging that the previous coalition’s leading party focused on political point-scoring more that fulfilling its mandate to deliver equitable services to Tshwane residents.
The current coalition in Tshwane is led by ActionSA, the African National Congress (ANC), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other smaller parties; while the previous coalition comprised of the Democratic Alliance (DA), ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, the Congress of the People (COPE), the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
“This reality informed our decision to withdraw from that coalition and reconstitute a new administration under the leadership of Dr Nasiphi Moya and her committed multiparty partners,” he said.
He said the successes achieved over the past few months were “undeniable” and signalled that Tshwane had begun to turn a corner.
“Over the past nine months, the multiparty coalition has taken bold steps to reverse the tide of decay, from enhancing by-laws enforcement and tackling lawlessness to rolling out improved systems that will show equitable service delivery for all residents, no matter whether they are in the suburb or their postal code.
“We are beginning to see for ourselves what is possible when competent leadership is met with political will. ActionSA as part of this coalition in the city and has made every effort to contribute meaningfully to this achievement. We have insisted on accountability and demanded results, to ensure that the professionals we deploy to lead the city, and its key portfolios do so with a clear mandate to serve residents,” Mashaba stated.
He asserted that ActionSA and its coalition partners had made service delivery the “heartbeat” of its administration, with achievements such as resurfaced roads; upgraded water infrastructure; consistent waste collection and cleaner streets.
He said the current coalition government was a model of what could happen when political parties set aside ideology to serve a greater good, while acknowledging that there were still issues in Tshwane, on which progress was being made.
Meanwhile ActionSA has laid a criminal complaint against Polokwane Mayor John Mpe amid corruption allegations over the awarding of tenders.
The complaint comes after R750 million was allegedly irregularly paid to companies whose owners had close ties to the mayor and the municipal manager.
Mpe has already dismissed the allegations as a political smear campaign.
However, he confirmed that there are companies owned by foreign nationals doing business with the municipality.
The Hawks have withdrawn an urgent application to compel Mpe to provide documents related to certain transactions linked to his organisation, the Makoro Foundation.