DURBAN - The deputy mayor of eThekwini Municipality, Philani Mavundla, has said his party’s coalition partners in the municipalities across the province, except in Ladysmith, should never be comfortable as his party was still testing out whether working with coalition partners would yield positive results for the province’s people.
Mavundla was speaking on Wednesday at the Durban ICC where he updated reporters on his 30 days in office, and detailed his responsibilities as the chair of the portfolio committee on Human Settlements and Infrastructure.
Speaking on his ascension to the deputy mayor position, Mavundla said it had not started well as he was accused of having accepted R30 million to form part of the coalition government with the ruling party and other smaller parties.
“We expressed our desire to put the people first and work with the opposition parties including the DA and the EFF. However, the DA explicitly refused to give us a seat in the executive committee, which is the highest decision-making body. So we had to go with other smaller parties after the ANC agreed to give a sit at Exco.”
The leader of the Abantu Batho Congress also explained his party was in a coalition government in seven municipalities and had seats in the executive.
He said that there would be a sitting on Thursday in Mvoti, where changes were expected to take place.
Speaking about his portfolio in eThekwini, he said that it was responsible for at least 75% of all the city’s budget.
“We have inherited problems, and these problems date back 10 years, where the infrastructure has been faced with challenges. There are huge problems in uMlazi, where two water pipelines have not been operational for 10 years. We have undertaken to ensure we rebuild them within, or in less than, 24 months, so that the people may have water.
“Inanda is also one of my priorities, and I will ensure the required services are delivered accordingly. KwaMashu and Ntuzuma are some of the places where we have also identified challenges and possible solutions.”
Mavundla emphasised that receiving basic services was a human right that should be respected.
“This is the money responsible for all the infrastructure - potholes and sewage spills must be fixed with this budget and it must not be wasted so that our people receive the best services because this is their money, therefore, it must go back to them.”
He decried the influx of homeless people into the city who “hijacked” buildings. He said that it had become difficult to clean and control some places as homeless people were living there.
“One of the other main issues we encounter is the illegal building of informal settlements, water and electricity connection. If a person builds a house or a shack on top of water pipelines, it becomes difficult to fix the water problem because it is not easy for plumbers to fix those pipes under a house.
“In some areas, people burn electricity cables and cut them down and when we send our technicians to attend to the affected areas, they are chased off with guns. Now we have to send them with security personnel, which is costing the city lots of money.”
He concluded by reiterating his commitment to serving the people of eThekwini despite all the existing challenges.
Daily News