A set of tangible deliverables has been put on the table for the Nelson Mandela Bay coalition government as the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition re-enters the fray, pushing for political stability in the city.
During a signing of a new social compact by stakeholders representing labour, business, women’s formations and religious and traditional leaders on Wednesday, the coalition unveiled a scorecard aimed at strengthening accountability and improving service delivery across the metro.
The scorecard calls for, among other things, the swift appointment of a city manager, the filling of critical technical vacancies, the protection of municipal assets from vandalism and stricter enforcement of municipal bylaws.
The signing took place during a media briefing at the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber offices.
Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition (NMBCSC) president Monga Peter said the scorecard was driven and sponsored by the coalition’s diverse constituencies, which had pledged to play an active oversight role.
“More than anything, we have elected not to be vague, because we’ve been here before,” Peter said.
“This civil society coalition has been active since 2013 and we intend to be a permanent feature.
“This is not something we are doing because an election is pending.”
Political instability in Nelson Mandela Bay has previously paralysed governance, most notably in 2014 when factional infighting within the ANC spilt over into City Hall, resulting in repeated failures to convene council meetings.
Following appeals from a coalition of churches, NGOs, business and ratepayers’ associations, then-president Jacob Zuma intervened, seconding Danny Jordaan to stabilise the administration.
Peter said the coalition would engage mayor Babalwa Lobishe later this week on the implementation of the scorecard.
He said this followed commitments made during a December 6 meeting, presided over by co-operative governance and traditional affairs minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, where Section 154 support for the municipality was discussed.
“In that meeting, the mayor committed to engaging civil society on January 30, after council,” Peter said.
“That engagement must commit the city leadership to a service delivery plan which we can monitor and evaluate.”
The scorecard includes:
- A concrete plan to address the municipality’s core service delivery challenges;
- Inclusion of civil society in the oversight of the action plan;
- Clear accountability for municipal officials tasked with its implementation;
- Appointment of a permanent, skilled and competent municipal manager, with civil society involved in the process;
- Greater transparency in senior management appointments;
- Transparent tender processes and strict compliance with good governance principles;
- Development and implementation of a plan to protect municipal infrastructure from vandalism;
- Implementation of Eskom’s Active Partnering Initiative to address technical electricity challenges;
- Reduction of unaccounted water losses from 57% to 30%;
- A reduction of electricity losses to break-even levels;
- Closure of noncompliant scrapyard dealers.
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya did not respond when contacted about the scorecard.
The Herald
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