Mogale City’s Mayor speaks

When she entered the world of politics many years ago, she did not ever imagine that one day she would be the Executive Mayor of the town she set out to defend and protect.

Lynn Pannall started out as a member of a Community Policing Forum in Noordheuwel and her rise to the top of the political feeding chain has been a surprise to her, even though she worked hard for every achievement.”I have been a ward councillor for 10 years and I love working with the community, but it was never my intention to end up as the Executive Mayor of Mogale City,” she told the News. Although she is honoured to be elected as mayor, she is also aware of the responsibility that awaits her.

Lynn admits that she inherited a municipality with successes as well as failures. “I am going to build on the successes of the past and where there are gaps, I will try to fill them by meeting the needs of the people. I have a needs-focused approach. Where there are needs, I will see what we can do within the budget and the local government framework to meet them,” she told the News.

As is always the case with new brooms, people are expecting to see sweeping changes in the way things are done and Lynn wasted no time jumping into her plans for the municipality. “My main focus will be ensuring that our service delivery is efficient, transparent and as sustainable as possible, and making sure that services reach all communities. Where there are gaps in service delivery, my aim is to fill those gaps. The other focus will be to establish an enabling environment. Optimal service delivery will enable people to spend their time improving their own lives and building businesses because all the basics will have been taken care of by the municipality,” she said. Clearly, a lot of work awaits our new mayor. Lynn also plans to fast-track the issuing of title deeds.

Mayor Pannall is passionate about helping people grow and develop and it is in her role that she will put her passion to work. “I want to grow people,” she said. She envisions a Mogale City filled with opportunity; inclusive, sustainable and caring because there are people in the city who need a safety net.

Not shying away from the burning issues in our city, Lynn agreed that youth unemployment and corrupt officials are some of the problems that she will have to face head on. “There will be zero tolerance towards corruption in our municipality and where it is found it will be stamped out. As far as youth unemployment is concerned, I will assist as much as I can. Internships will be provided, with the goal that when the young people have that training against their names, the organisations they apply to will be assured that they are highly trained and recommended,” she told the News.

With lots of ideas still in the pipeline, it is very clear that Mogale City is in for big changes with Lynn Pannall at the helm.

5 things you didn’t know about your Mayor:

Lynn finds reading, gardening and doing research relaxing.

The first people she told about her new position were her daughters.

She is currently doing site visits and familiarising herself with structures and procedures.

She is task-orientated and time bound.

Lynn enjoys creating something out of nothing, and thinks that recycling is important.

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