STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S EXECUTIVE MAYOR, PATRICIA DE LILLE
Service delivery excellence is one of the cornerstones of the City of Cape Town’s reputation as a well-run city and it is important that, as an administration, we constantly reach out to residents to inform them of projects in their communities.
Today I joined Councillor Patricia van der Ross (Ward 65) for a service delivery Open Day in Lotus River.
The Open Day, organised by Councillor Van der Ross, is held twice a year and rotates across the ward annually.
Officials from various departments, including Revenue, Housing, Health, Law Enforcement and Social Development were part of the Open Day to assist residents with pertinent issues.
The initiative is about taking service delivery closer to the doorstep of many residents who cannot afford transport fees to go to Council offices. It is also aimed at ensuring that residents are able to hold their elected representatives accountable.
Councillor Van der Ross has also held numerous meetings to share plans with residents on how the ward allocation funding for 2018/19 will be spent. The projects include R200 000 worth of upgrades to Stephen Road Park, Brookford Road Park, Lake Road Park and Peter’s Way Park. These parks will be fitted with gym equipment to help residents live active, healthy lifestyles.
A further R250 000 has been set aside for the installation of CCTV Cameras in Lotus River as well as traffic calming measures in Grassy Park and Lotus River.
Ward 65 is also hosting its annual reading competition for pupils in Grades 3 to 7 to encourage literacy in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans among primary school learners.
Service delivery outreach programmes such as this Open Day go hand-in-hand with the Mayoral Pop-Up Office, aimed at improving relations between the municipality and residents.
The Pop-Up Office, an initiative by the Mayor’s Office, takes the government to residents’ doorsteps and also provides them with face-to-face engagement with City representatives and officials about service delivery.
This is of course in line with goals set by the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP) to be an administration which puts the needs of Capetonians first.
As a result of the Mayoral Pop-Up Office, my office has been able to escalate more than 300 individual complaints from our eight activations in Athlone, Eerste Rivier, Khayelitsha, Masiphumele, Albow Gardens, Pelican Park, Heideveld and Jim se Bos.
Outreach initiatives such as the Open Day or the Pop-Up Office are but a few programmes the City is hosting to make the administration more accessible, responsive, and visible to all its residents.
I encourage residents to keep connecting with their Area Mayco Members, ward councillors and subcouncil offices on a regular basis so that they can be informed of developments in their wards and can work with us to build safe and inclusive communities.
Source: City of Cape Town