Newly elected Exucutive Mayor of Gert Sibande District Municipality Mr Muzi Chirwa accepted the responsibility to lead the municipality and was sworn in at the Council Chamber recently.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Chirwa thanked the ruling party for trusting him with the responsibility of leading the district municipality.
He said the ruling party was mindful of the people’s confidence in voting for them and would not dare to fail them.
“We will ensure that we provide the necessary and sufficient support to local municipalities, so that they are able to live up to the constitutional imperatives which include providing accountable government for local municipalities, providing sustainable services to communities and promoting a safe and healthy environment to the people,” said Mr Chirwa.
He also mentioned how important the recently adopted Integrated Development Plan (IDP) was, which must respond to the needs of the people, including housing, clean running water, decent sanitation, roads and electricity, among others.
Stimulation of economic growth in the district also featured in his address.
He said the district leadership would spend some time with the leadership of local municipalities to try and resolve economic challenges which manifest as a triple challenge: unemployment, poverty and inequality.
“Our area of jurisdiction is rural and industrial, which calls for us to refine our strategies and maximise the opportunities for the benefit of the communities. I therefore call upon all stakeholders to commit to a team effort in building a sustainable local economy,” said Mr Chirwa.
During the media briefing after his swearing-in, he spoke about the need to fight the scourge of HIV and AIDS, saying that he would also focus on programmes that will help fight the pandemic.
Municipal Manager of Gert Sibande Municipality Mr C.A. Habile said they would ensure they provided sufficient service delivery and dealt decisively with issues of corruption.
He also said the whole province was on a drive to perform a skills and qualifications audit to ensure the right people were in position.
Newly elected Speaker for the municipality Mr Joshua Nkosi hinted that his office wouldbe teeming up with councillors to encourage public participation.
Mr Chirwa concluded by announcing his Members of the Mayoral Committee, which he said was subject to performance and not permanent: Ms Lindi Masina (Department of Corporate Services), Ms Dumisile Nhlengethwa (Department of Community and Social Services), Ms Snana Dlamini (Department of Budget and Treasury), Ms Noliqwa Nhlapho (Department of Infrastructure and Technical Services, Mr Bheki Buthelezi (Planning and Economic Department) and Ms Busi Sikhonde (Special Projects, Youth and Rural Development).
