As part of the Ridge Times’ commitment to voter education ahead of the November 4 elections, the publication invited all political party mayoral candidates to answer our questionnaire by October 12.

This is what Johan Heyman, the mayoral candidate for the Africa People Coalition Party (APCP) in Govan Mbeki Municipality, answered.

Q. Govan Mbeki Municipality is a major industrial and economic hub. What is your strategy for protecting existing jobs and attracting new investment?

The Africa People Coalition mandate for the Municipal Mayor will be to develop the Govan Mbeki Municipality (GMM) into a role-model municipality.

The entire GMM requires significant transformation and upgrading to address the various needs of its communities and prepare the municipality for future demands.

A Municipality is essentially a small level of government and requires the same level of strategic planning. The roles and responsibilities of the Municipal Manager, together with his maintenance and administrative teams, must therefore be clearly defined and included in the municipality’s transformation plan.

The Govan Mbeki Municipality consists of seven towns, each with its own specific needs as well as common challenges. These requirements range from service delivery, outdated infrastructure, unemployment, housing, waste-management systems, and road infrastructure.

It would be unfair to expect a ward councillor to deliver a complete service-delivery plan when he or she shares the same town with two or more other ward councillors. Wards are often divided only by streets, while service delivery and infrastructure affect the entire town. 

The Municipal Mayor should have an Assistant Mayor responsible for each town, with a specific focus on that town’s development and challenges.

Every town’s development depends on the available municipal budget, as well as additional funding and investment for projects. The backlog and future development needs to be address in a short time span. 

Let us consider the seven towns from a broader perspective and clarify their needs and proposed plans. 

a. Leandra: Proposed Support – Employment programmes, hospital, clothing factory, manufacturing industries, technical and skills training facilities. Tap into Agriculture projects and programmes by using open areas around the town for agriculture projects. Start Co-operative employment strategy to assist with town development.

b. Kinross: Proposed support – Industries to create employment, youth development programmes, agriculture projects and programmes. Establish co-operative employment strategy to support councillors.

c. Evander: Proposed support – Improving the town by assisting current and new businesses to expand their employment capacity. Establish co-operative employment strategy to support councillors.

d. Charl Cilliers: Proposed support – The town is open for housing projects but it must be supported with a shopping center and reuired infrastructure. Improved clinic must be established. Agriculture projects in and around the town can benefit the local markets and help with sustainability. Provide a co-operative employment strategy to support councillor.

e. Secunda/Trichardt: Proposed support – Tourism is the next big thing after Sasol as a source of income for Secunda. The stadium is a white elephant but can be turned around as an income generator. A co-operative employment strategy to support councillors can add value to the towns future.

f. Bethal: Proposed support – Bethal was always an agriculture hub. New ventures in aAgriculture can develop this town again into a dream town and increase property value. Implement a co-operative employment strategy to support town development. The small scale farmers in eMzinoni can be assisted to make farming more profitable. 

g. eMbalenhle: Proposed support –  The major task in eMbalenhle is to address employment through training and skills development, factories and industrial programmes can help with employment. The open fields around eMbalenhle can help with a considerable group of families, in small scale agriculture programmes. Implement a co-operative employment strategy to support town development.

The aim of the Africa People Coalition is to implement a third-party quality-control and community-oversight team or department to represent and protect the interests of the community. This team should play a meaningful role in municipal decision-making and should be able to raise concerns regarding unlawful practices, poor service delivery, unfair treatment, and community complaints. Municipalities are sandwich between Government and communities and try to please both sides. The proposed community oversight structure must therefore operate independently and must not be manipulated by the municipality, political interests, or outside individuals and organisations. 

The team should monitor: · Municipal projects · Contracts and procurement · Labour relations · Maintenance · Administrative services · Service delivery · Infrastructure projects · Community complaints · Municipal spending and development programmes.

Question: The municipality has faced persistent challenges around electricity, water infrastructure, roads, sewage spills, illegal dumping and ageing municipal assets. Which infrastructure problem will you tackle first, and why?

Water is the first priority and is life. The distribution network is poor when start-up after breakdowns. Some towns and areas received late water. A correct start-up procedure and locked out plan must be developed to ensure that water flow feeds the remote areas, such as Area 22 & 23 in Secunda.

Bethal and Trichardt always stand last when water starts flowing. Other water supply resources need to be identified to assist in the future demands. The possibility of implementing a water purification plant next to Grootdraai Dam must be investigated to deliver water when the Rand Water supply system is offline with breakdown.

  
Question: Govan Mbeki Municipality has a large number of informal settlements. What is your plan to improve basic services while addressing longer-term housing needs, and how do you plan to curb illegal squatting?

The informal settlements put the local infra structure under pressure. Some of the informal settlements are directly linked to property mafia groups.

They make money out of land they don’t own. Every informal settlement must be evaluated and all the pros and cons must be considered. Then a proper development plan must be considered if the settlement must be removed or developed. To stop squatting the municipality must be ready with housing options.

Question: What is your plan to improve the municipality’s financial position and ensure that municipal spending translates into visible service delivery?

– There are visible opportunities in Govan Mbeki Municipality to improve financial income. Tourism is the second best income after Sasol, for Secunda. Income generated programmess must be launched, such as using the stadium optimal.  

– How do the municipality gain from income projects? Government must be held responsible for supporting the municipality financially.

– Job generation projects must create more income for the Municipality. 

Question: Govan Mbeki Municipality will have a large number of candidates contesting ward seats in the 2026 elections. What will you expect your ward councillors to deliver for residents, and how will you hold them accountable for service delivery, community engagement and responding to local problems?

– The Ward Counsillors must focus on the common needs to be adressed in all 7 towns.

   – Housing is essential, and current and new projects must be adressed

   – Cleaning and maintenance of every town is a priority.

   – Infrastructure upgrading

   – Waste management becomes a health risk. Every town must develop a system that can bring benefits from the waste system.               Lessons can be learned from municipalities who have a great waste management system.

   – Manage and care for the elders – Increase the number of old age homes.

   – The health sector in each town is very essential and be ready to handle every emergency

   – Manage and training for the unemployed group. 

   – Support for schools with small projects to help children. A child with a dream is a child with a future.

   – Every Gr 12 learners must have a opportunity to fit into a learnership, skills training programme or college training.

   – Informal settlement management – A study must be conducted and determine if it must stay or removed. 

   – Town planning must be revised and upgraded to handle the current and future programmes.

Question: If we interview you again at the end of the 2026 – 2031 term, what specific measurable result should we be able to hold you accountable for?

– The municipal towns must be clean and need. 

– The financial debt must be reduced.

– The implementation of a third party quality control team, that protects the citizens from unfair laws and keeps the municipality on its toes.

– Establish community service projects that leave an impact in people’s minds such as old age homes, job generation and empowered youth.

– Use the business and tourism industries to grow the town’s property value.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the candidate and do
not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the journalists or the newspapers (Ridge Times and Standerton Advertiser) and the company (Caxton) they represent.