The Tshwane metro is on a bid to improve its workforce to better service delivery, infrastructure and finances with mayor Randall Williams saying the workforce is not properly designed to perform their mandate with too many people ‘giving orders’ and not enough people to do the work.

Williams was addressing the media on service delivery and stability of the coalition government for 2022, as we head into 2023, a prelude to elections a year later.

Williams said the metro was still burdened by worrisome financial instability, however, attempts to stabilise the finances were ongoing.

He said the metro had very few plumbers, electricians and other handymen.

“We are top-heavy. We have too many chiefs and too few Indians to do the work.”

“Over the many decades, the way they designed the workforce is not adequate for our mandate.”

He said as the multi-party coalition government had now been in a relationship for about a year, following the results of the November 2021 local government elections, plans to re-design the workforce were being attempted.

“We need the likes of more electricians as we have been facing systematic problems, which have built up over a long period.”

He said addressing the workforce situation would assist in maintaining infrastructure and improving the worrisome finances.

He added that the metro faced an increase in power outages and water leaks due to factors such as weather, but it had insufficient staff or vehicles to deal with all the service delivery complaints that arose.

“There are a lot of electricity outages in the city in areas such as Soshanguve due to the metro not having sufficient teams to attend to the outages.”

Williams added that there were substations such as one in Wonderboom, which was commissioned in 1989 and had never been maintained.

“The National Party never maintained it, the ANC never maintained it. We maintained it and outages are not like before.”

Williams said the re-design of the workforce came about after he requested a maintenance report of the mini sub-stations in the metro showed that there was none.

“I was told that a maintenance plan did not exist for our mini-substations.”

He said the metro was working on plans to correct various systems that were currently wrong and was making improvements in tackling service delivery.

“It will take some time before everyone in the city sees improvements in service delivery.”

He said the metro had managed to achieve various successes.

“We have cut over 183 million square metres of grass and repaired over 75 000 potholes. We’ve also repaired about 60 000 streetlights.

“Our water and sewerage teams have also been hard at work; we have repaired about 46 000 water leaks and over 23 000 sewers have been unblocked.”

Other achievements cited were:

•  Refurbishing of Bronkhorstspruit substation from 20MVA to 80MVA at a cost of R96m.
• The Kosmosdal substation upgrade from 20MVA to 40MVA at a cost of R65m.
• Soshanguve substation upgrade from a 20MVA to 80MVA at a cost of R92m.

Williams said access to electricity had also increased by 2 588 new connections, 1 589 new streetlights and two high mast lights.

He said the following areas would also see water infrastructure upgraded in the current financial year:

• Pretoria North and Dorandia
• Mamelodi
• Eersterust
• Greater Sinoville area
• Constantia Park and Moreletapark
• Riamarpark
• Clubview