As part of the newly launched flagship service delivery programme Fixing the Frontline, newly appointed CoE city manager Kagiso Lerutla visited the Benoni Water Depot in Rynfield, yesterday (January 15).

The visit was part of his commitment to engage with city-appointed employees at various depots to outline the initiative’s goals, which include restoring functionality, efficiency and professionalism at municipal depots (frontline service delivery nodes).

Welcoming those in attendance, Thokozani Maseko, the HoD for water and sanitation, congratulated the local depot’s staff for timeously addressing water-related issues throughout Benoni during the festive season.

“Feedback from councillors illustrates a team of frontline staff who perform well under pressure, have a strong work ethic and are dedicated to delivering efficient basic services to the community,” he said.

“We are aware that you often perform your duties in the face of challenges. That is what we are here to address.”

Lerutla said the rolling out of Fixing the Frontline aims to ensure service delivery is focused on mobilising internal teams, thus curbing the city’s ongoing reliance on outsourced contractors.

“For the programme to succeed, we must understand the challenges the men and women on the ground face. Visits to depots and engaging with staff are the only way to get a clear understanding of the situation,” he said.

To effectively streamline operations at depots, and in line with a restorative directive from the National Treasury, the power to address departmental fleet management, maintenance, procurement of components, tools of the trade, as well as personal protective equipment (PPE), will rest on the shoulders of each HoD.

“HoDs will be better equipped when compiling their budgets for the 2026/27 financial year, which comes into effect on July 1,” Lerutla explained.

“That, however, does not mean that operations will be negatively impacted until then. There is room now for immediate reformative steps to be put into place.”

Further addressing employee concerns, he reiterated that positions within the CoE’s workforce are not in danger.

“The shift with our Fixing the Frontline initiative means we will turn our attention inward, particularly focusing on internal upskilling and empowerment.”

During the visit, employees could voice their concerns about operational challenges.

Issues highlighted included:

• Dissatisfaction with procedural decisions implemented by Dr Imogen Mashazi, Lerutla’s predecessor.
Employee Phineas Mnambathi said he’s been locked in a battle with the city’s HR department regarding overtime payment since 2020.

“Month after month, I’ve worked 60 hours of overtime, yet am only remunerated for 40. When attending to a service delivery complaint, we cannot simply pack up and leave our post because the implemented 60-hour cap has been reached,” he said, pointing to a folder containing his evidence.

“We must be reimbursed for our work.”

• The state of satellite depots.
Employees claim they lack basic facilities, such as security and other amenities.

“The depots are in a deplorable state, working stand-by here is unsafe and unhygienic, yet we report for duty and work with what we have,” said another employee, who asked to remain anonymous.

• Need for quality, working equipment;

• Adequate PPE;

• Continuous maintenance of the vehicle fleet;

• In-fighting within depots;

• Skills development and upskilling opportunities;

• Internal promotion opportunities.

Lerutla welcomed the criticism, saying open dialogue strengthens communication between management and staff.

“This puts us at an advantage to better equip our employees to deliver on our promise to the community,” he said.

With site meetings continuing throughout the metro, Lerutla committed to giving feedback on concerns within a week of each visit.

“Remember, we are working from the ground up. Grievances cannot all be immediately addressed, but we will make a concerted effort.”

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Freedom Front Plus welcomes the initiative

The Freedom Front Plus (FFP) welcome Fixing the Frontline but emphasised that tangible results are what really count.

Party councillor Jean Kriek said, “The party wants to emphasise, however, that the measure of success is not announcing initiatives, but achieving tangible results at a grassroots level.

“The party hopes this programme proves to be a genuine turning point for Ekurhuleni residents, particularly with regard to electricity services.”

Kriek pointed out that residents have endured prolonged power outages, infrastructure failures, vandalism and slow response times for years. So, if this programme is successful, it could bring much-needed relief.

“The FFP would like to see communication with residents prioritised, enabling them to plan more effectively around outages.

“The only way to determine whether the programme is successful is to look for visible changes at the grassroots level, including rapid resolution of problems, sustainable infrastructure maintenance and obvious accountability.

“We will closely monitor the programme to ensure it leads to measurable improvements in service delivery to residents.”

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