In a major revival of the Accelerated Service Delivery campaign, Mayor Matongo issued orders to the city top brass to have boots on the ground, ready to tackle the City’s service delivery challenges.
The City of Johannesburg’s Extended Executive Management Team, Regional Directors, Exco members from entities, Regional Managers, Depot Managers and other deployees responsible for service delivery across the city, all swore allegiance and pledged get on the service delivery battlefield.
From Friday, 20 August 2021, the Citizen Relationship and Urban Management (CRUM) will compile a list of all service delivery breakdowns in all the 135 wards, to be sent to relevant entities and departments for their prompt resolution.
We’ll have Service Delivery Fridays, said Mayor Matongo, adding that from 9am to 1pm, the City leadership will be on sites, inspecting progress and providing guidance. Departments will have a week to resolve the issues raised in the list.
Platoons from the City armed with excavators, front loaders, TLBs, bulldozers and other heavy machinery will become a common sight as the battle to improve services gain momentum.
“Be ready to be part of the movement to serve the City with excellence,” Mayor Matongo commanded.
Potholes, burst pipes, overgrown grass and will be eliminated. “Street lights must work, burst sewers fixed and overgrown grass cut,” ordered the mayor. “As politicians, ours is to have oversight over things we said must be done.”
Regional Directors will be the first to inspect the regions they are responsible for. They’ll be followed by Members of the Mayoral Committee, who’ll be accompanied by senior managers to ensure that troops are executing the orders.
The mayor said budget availability will not be used as an excuse for not resolving issues. “I don’t want to hear depot people saying they don’t have material. Budget has been allocated. It must be spent. Materials must be bought and made available at the stores.”
Acting City Manager Floyd Brink pledged the support of senior management in executing the Mayor’s orders.
Describing them as “the heartbeat of the city”, Brink said departments and entities would implement interventions within rigid timeframes. “We’ll ensure that service delivery becomes a norm,” he vowed.
The mayor has issued the orders. It’s now up to City employees to march to the tune.
