Nawa’s last State of the District address

The Mayor of the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) addressed dignitaries of Mogale City, Merafong, Randfontein and Westonaria local municipalities on the state of the district on Friday (1 April) during the closing of his term as the district mayor.

The WRDM is responsible for providing public safety, environmental health services as well as regional planning and economic development to all four local municipaities.

The Mayor, Mpho Nawa, delivered the address while highlighting the proposal to demarcate the West Rand municipalities, WRDM’s achievements and the struggles the council was faced with.

Nawa said in his speech, that consisted of the district’s highlights from 2011 to 2016, that one of the major goals in his term of office was to demarcate the West Rand municipalities into a single Metropolitan Municipality.

“Submissions were made since 2011 to change the fragmentation of the apartheid-era municipalities which, it is believed, would result in uniting the West Rand for improved competitiveness, resilience an delivery to our communities,” he said.

He highlighted challenges like that of the mining industry, increasing electricity tariffs and poverty and said it will continue to be addressed.

Nawa said that from 2011 to 2016, about 161 000 jobs were created through different programmes across the district. Nearly 9 000 houses were constructed, over 1 000 street lights were installed, Leratong Regional Hospital’s casualty facility was upgraded and even CCTV cameras have been installed across the district to help fight crime.

Regarding emergency services, for which the WRDM is responsible in the West Rand, Nawa said the resources at fire stations are not optimal but that two more fire engines were commissioned and new response stations opened in, among others, Kagiso.

“Currently 10 more fire engines are in the process of being procured for an amount of R39 million,” he said.

Nawa added that the WRDM dilvered the best results with i9nadequate budgets available and “the decrease in funding dioe snot allow WRDM to redistribute funds.”

Closing his speech, with hundreds of council members listening at Mount Usambara, Nawa said that this would be the last time he will deliver the State of the District Address, “however I will not put down the weapons of war on poverty”.

For the full speech by Mayor Mpho Nawa, click here.

Read more:

• Nawa’s impressive vision at Soda

• Mayor promises better days at State of District Address