The Executive Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Alderman Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, met with the Deputy Minister of Finance, David Masondo, to present a reform plan aimed at improving the metro’s financial stability and strengthening long-term economic performance.

The mayor was joined by Members of the Mayoral Committee as he outlined measures designed to address current financial pressures while ensuring uninterrupted service delivery.

The engagement placed strong emphasis on stabilising crucial departments, including Water and Sanitation, Energy, and Roads and Stormwater.

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The reform plan centres on three key focus areas:

• Financial sustainability:

This component highlights the need for metros to improve financial resilience to support long-term economic recovery and drive growth.

Strengthening revenue collection, improving efficiencies, and managing expenditure are among the critical steps being prioritised.

• Economic performance:

The plan includes renewed efforts to enhance spatial transformation, economic inclusion, and job creation.

These interventions aim to stimulate investment in urban areas and ensure communities benefit from a more inclusive local economy.

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• Operation Vulindlela Phase 2:

The presentation also featured the Metro Trading Services Reform, which forms part of Operation Vulindlela’s second phase.

The initiative focuses on addressing bottlenecks within local government systems, improving turnaround times, and removing inefficiencies that hinder service delivery.

The City says the engagement marks an important step in its ongoing efforts to stabilise municipal finances and restore public confidence in core services.