Mayor stresses 2025 as the year of renewal
A renewed city begins with renewed leadership and governance.
The CoE held its first ordinary council meeting of 2025 on January 30, where Mayor Nkonsindiphile Xhakaza declared the year as a period of renewal for the city.
His address stressed the need for comprehensive renewal, “Let this be the year of renewal for the CoE, a renewal not only of our infrastructure, economy and service delivery but also of the culture, mindset and attitude within our administration.
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“Renewal must not be a concept we speak of in council chambers alone; it must be an active, daily commitment by every public servant entrusted with the responsibility of building a better city.”
The mayor outlined several priorities for the year:
• Water infrastructure: Prioritising maintenance and repairs to mitigate shortages and ensure a sustainable supply.
• Energy security: Using technology to safeguard energy infrastructure to stabilise the electricity supply and reduce cable theft and vandalism interruptions.
• Waste management: Expanding waste collection services to address illegal dumping and improve sanitation across all communities.
• Financial stability: Reviewing billing systems to eliminate revenue leakages, strengthening revenue collection to improve efficiency and reducing unauthorised and wasteful expenditures to ensure resources go to service delivery.
• Infrastructure maintenance: Doing essential repairs and maintenance of public facilities, including roads, bridges, public buildings and utilities, to shift from reactive interventions to proactive, planned maintenance.
• Public spaces: Enhancing the maintenance of public spaces and parks to ensure safe and clean recreational areas for all residents.
In response to the mayor’s speech, DA caucus leader Clr Brandon Pretorius expressed scepticism, “I would like to believe that your executive has returned with a bounce in their step.
“However, with the city collapsing around us, this is not the case. The city is in a stay-cation mode, specifically staying away from servicing our residents.”
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He criticised the city’s service delivery, “When it rains, not only does mismanagement pour in the city, but the grass also grows MMCs.
“The dense grass growth covering our open spaces, parks, and informal settlements is a recurring reality in our city.
“These spaces become home to criminals who wish to prey on our young, elderly and women.”
Pretorius also questioned the hiring of contractors, “We must stop paying contractors for work that needs to be done in-house. How can we justify the existence of staff in our parks department while appointing contractors?
”We have seen how the city’s entities continue to regress, even an entity like thw Ekurhuleni Water Care Company, once a breath of fresh air, has started to stink.”
The meeting underscored the ongoing dialogue between the city’s leadership and opposition parties, reflecting the diverse perspectives on the city’s future direction.
