Newly appointed Rand West City Local Municipality municipal manager Lesedi Mere has identified reducing distribution losses, improving revenue collection and changing the work culture among municipal employees as his three main priorities.

Mere, who officially took office on October 1 after serving as acting municipal manager, outlined his plans during a one-on-one interview with the Randfontein Herald.

His appointment comes ahead of the November 4 municipal elections. He expects to serve for about a year, as the new council will have to appoint its own municipal manager.

Mere said his immediate focus would be to stabilise distribution losses in the municipal system and improve revenue collection from residents paying their rates and taxes.

His third priority is to address poor work performance among municipal employees, particularly those who fail to serve residents professionally.

He warned that he would take a tougher stance against workers who do not fulfil their responsibilities, saying a change in workplace culture was necessary to improve service delivery.

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Non-payment strains service delivery

Mere identified service delivery as a major challenge, citing non-payment for municipal services in Randfontein, Bekkersdal, Westonaria and other parts of Rand West.

He said the municipality had a responsibility to provide services to all residents but was struggling to do so effectively because it was not collecting enough revenue.

Mere said improving revenue collection was crucial to ensuring the municipality had sufficient funds to meet its service delivery obligations.

He acknowledged that the municipality would continue doing its best to provide services but urged residents to pay for the services they receive.

Residents urged to pay

Mere called on residents to play their part by paying their municipal accounts, stressing that revenue collection was essential to sustaining service delivery.

He said residents should judge his performance at the end of his tenure against the three priorities he had set: Stabilising distribution losses, improving revenue collection and changing the work culture among municipal employees.

With his tenure expected to last about a year, Mere faces the challenge of making progress on these priorities while addressing the financial and operational pressures affecting service delivery across the municipality.