Taking Mangaung forward

• Mlamleli envisions bigger and stronger metropolis at the heart of South Africa
• Hails achievements of previous council, says it’s time to reach for new milestones

Newly installed mayor Mangaung Metro Executive Mayor Olly Mlamleli says her council will work to transform the City of Roses into more than just a place where residents work and live but one they could truly call home.

Pledging to put residents at the centre of municipal development plans and programmes, Mlamleli outlined an ambitious agenda for the city ranging from stepping up home building, to boosting anti-HIV and AIDS programmes to ensuring safe drinking water for all residents of the Free State capital.

“This part of the world under our jurisdiction is destined to be globally safe and attractive to live, work and invest in,” she confidently declared during her inauguration last Friday.

A senior leader of the ruling ANC party and a veteran public administrator, Mlamleli is taking over Mangaung at a time the city has expanded with the addition of the towns of Dewetsdorp, Wepennar, Van Standensrus and Soutpan.

The four towns are saddled with service delivery challenges and backlogs – a situation many urban planning and management experts have said could drag down Mangaung as it tries to jack its new acquisitions up.

But Mlamleli — who is well versed in the challenges confronting municipalities in the province having spent the last four years supervising local government as cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs MEC — said the merger has its challenges but economic benefits as well, especially related to the agricultural sector.

“Our City stands on the threshold of a new era (with its jurisdiction extended) again alongside Naledi and Soutpan. This presents us an exciting and challenging time as with more challenges come more opportunities,” the mayor said.

She added: “Issues relating to service delivery backlogs in Dewetsdorp, Wepenaar, Van Standensrus and Soutpan are inescapable (but) this merger should be seen to be bringing with it economic spin-offs … because the economies of these new areas are predominantly driven by agriculture.”

The merger said Mlamleli should not affect or slow down service delivery in Mangaung but should instead help boost access to basic services in the outlying areas to improve the quality of life in the enlarged city.

The grafting of Soutpan, which was under the Masilonyana Local Municipality, and the other three towns that were in Naledi Local Municipality into Mangaung Metro is seen creating a stronger metropolis at the heart of South Africa.

Mlamleli said while the amalgamation brings with it challenges because of the huge disparity in service levels in the four towns compared to Mangaung, a consolidated approach to planning and service delivery will ensure that residents of the towns are not disadvantaged, but will instead benefit from the more efficient service delivery model of the metro.

In the same way that city development and service delivery plans have worked in its regions of Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu they would also be made to work in Dewetsdorp, Wepennar, Van Standensrus and Soutpan, the mayor said.

The municipal integrated development plan and budget will be consolidated to ensure equitable development in all corners of the enlarged city, according to Mlamleli.

She said: “Therefore our plans as they apply to the regions of Bloemfontein, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu should equally be applicable to and cater for Naledi and Soutpan in all respects. Both the IDP and Budget will be integrated.”

Mlamleli said the ideas and development initiatives she was proposing for the city were not her own private opinions or those of her council team but were well considered policy proposals developed with direct input from residents of Mangaung.

The mayor said she herself had also taken time during the run-up to last month’s municipal elections to talk to people to hear their concerns and what they want to see done to make their city a more liveable place.

She said: “As we prepared for the August 2016 local government polls, I was literally on the ground engaging the community of Mangaung broadly, from different sectors such as minority groups, academics, students, youth and business.

“Equally I was able to understand their concerns and frustrations, I have thoroughly consulted with the people of Mangaung and I am pleased to say, people of Mangaung I have heard you, I understand and I am ready together with council to accelerate service delivery to you,” she said confidently.

The mayor said while the service delivery backlog in not only the four towns being amalgamated with Mangaung but in the old metro as well could not be addressed overnight, her council was resolute in its vision to liberate the majority of its residents from the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality.

She said in addressing these challenges, the municipality also hoped to create employment opportunities for residents to allow them to become self-sustainable and improve their living standards.
“We will ensure that we create prosperous, liveable, inclusive living spaces with abundance of social and recreational amenities, economic as well as job opportunities,” the mayor told the colourful gathering which saw many people turn up in their traditional regalia in line with Heritage Month marked annually in September.

Mlamleli hailed the impressive success recorded by the previous administration of former mayor Thabo Manyoni, adding the work to transform Mangaung into a modern city and economic hub was, in fact, already underway having being begun by the previous council.

The job of the incoming council is to complete the work. She said: “The work to establish a city that is globally safe and attractive to live, work and invest in has already begun. This is the work we are here to accomplish.”

Some of the new targets for the city outlined by Mlamleli include eradicating service delivery backlogs.

“We will strive to ensure that our people benefit not only through improved services. It is time that we deal with these backlogs and begin to chart our path towards achieving our objectives and a future deserving of the next generation,” she said.

The city will double efforts to provide clean drinking water for every resident and to eradicate sub-standard sanitation across the metro.

Other key council objectives mentioned by Mlamleli are creating more housing opportunities, and fast-tracking the establishment of an efficient and cost-effective public transport system.

The city will also put greater focus on boosting HIV and AIDS programmes and expanding the work of the Mangaung local drug action committee to prevent drug-related crime, and provide access to treatment and rehabilitation of substance abusers