The MMC for Economic Development, ICT and Finance Clr Nkosindiphile Xhakaza has met with representatives of the business community in the City to outline service delivery programmes and report back on the milestones for the current term of office.
Speaking at the Benoni Country Club, Xhakaza said in the past five years, the City has invested over R25-billion in the development of infrastructure with much focus on challenges posed by human settlements.
“We have paid attention to the development of 16 mega-housing projects to deal with the challenge of informal settlements in the City.
“All these human settlement projects require the intervention and involvement of business for the City to be able to deliver on them,” said Xhakaza.
“We had to spend money on the development of water reservoirs to ensure that there is security of water supply.
“We had to invest some of our budget on the ageing water pipeline to ensure that our communities have access to clean water. We have also invested in the supply of energy, building electricity substation, roads and ICT network in the City, ”
For the next five years, the City will focus on the maintenance of infrastructures such as road refurbishment and other maintenance projects. He said that the City’s priority is to ensure there is billing integrity and revenue management.
“We believe that if our customers are satisfied with the billing, so is the collection by the City. The cost of providing water is a challenge for the City and we are still looking for ways to ensure that we cover our cost and reinvest in the infrastructure,” said Xhakaza.
The City has surpassed the mark on unqualified audit opinion, which is a reflection of the effectiveness of the internal control system and the City’s commitment to deal with corruption.
The City of Ekurhuleni has regular meetings with businesses, discussing a wide variety of topics to nurture relations between the two parties.
Aptly called City Meets Business, these meetings are held monthly and information sharing includes the aerotropolis, city planning, campaigns, budget and other service delivery-related matters.
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