A word from our Mayor - Councillor Andrew John Maphetle

“Today is better than yesterday – AND tomorrow will be better than today”. 

Today marks a milestone in the history of the City of Potchefstroom.  We are gathered here, not as guests and witnesses to this auspicious occasion – but as the forces and partners behind our victory as the organization, and municipality. 

Re kgobokane fano gompieno, go tla go paka tlhomo ya Lekgotlatoropo la Motse wa Rona.  This is a very good time, Chief Whip – to thank all our people for supporting and showing confidence in this leadership.  The ANC in the Region and here at home, would really like to take this opportunity to thank you – the people of this beautiful City, for knowing exactly where your trust lies.  Since assuming office, this organization had never failed you – and is also looking forward to serve you into the future.

Since the new dispensation of Local Government in 2000, the Potchefstroom City Council had grown from strength to strength.  The leadership of this City took an oath of delivering more and better services to all our people.  The choices that we make as a municipality, give life and meaning to the “Age of Hope” of which President Thabo Mbeki so rightly spoke of in the State of Nation Address earlier this year. 
Since assuming office last month, this leadership is showing serious concern and keenness in accelerating our advance towards the achievement of the goal of a better life for all.

I hope that most of you would still remember the origin of Kanana, Top City, Sonderwater, Sarafina, Aksiepark and many extensions that are now 90 percent serviced already.  We should also not forget how our people were pushed from the comforts of their homes in Makweteng, and how as recent as less than 11 years ago – the then Potchefstroom Stadsraad was still maintaining the segregation development, and this had a negative impact on the growth of our people.

Indeed, this was not an easy task to complete, but through the support and commitment shown by our people – we have managed to implement most of our IDP projects as stipulated.  The Director-General at the National Treasury correctly said earlier this year – and I quote: ”South Africa entered 2006 with a level of optimism befitting our young democracy, balanced by sober reflection of how much more we need to achieve. 

While we continue to make progress, the pressing challenges of social and economic development are a constant reminder of how much further we need to travel” close quote.

Ke nnete gore maikaelelo a rona a sa ntse a eme fela jaalo.  Re sa ntse re totobatsa le gompieno gore rona jaaka baetapele ba Lekgotlatoropo le – re tlile go tsenya tirisong le go netefatsa gore dikgatlhego tsa lona jaaka baagi, di a diragatswa.  Programme Director – I want to undertake to our people, on behalf of this collective here – that the wheels of this institution are gaining momentum and this means a lot to us. 

In simple terms, ladies and gentlemen – this means that the delivery of services and the implementation of IDP, of which most of these are your inputs and wishes as a community - will be carried out.  Our economic and social policies flow from the democratic values and respect for human dignity enshrined in the Constitution. 

Through our Budget processes, our municipality seeks to ensure that social and economic rights are progressively realized, that the legacy of historical injustice is redressed, and that our children in Potchefstroom, will enjoy the fruits of broad-based development and robust economic growth.  We should always join forces and focus on reducing poverty and extending basic services to all our people. 

Bagaetsho – go botlhokwa go itse gore rona jaaka Mmasepala – re kgonne go fa bana ba mo gae ba le 130 dibasari.  Re dirisitse madi a a fetang R260 000 go thusa baithuti ba ba dirang boEnjeneri, bongaka, mafaratlhatlha a technology – jaaka diKhomputara, boBueledi, Thuto, tsa Kgwebo, le mafapha a mangwe a a tla re tswelang mosola mo isagong. 

It should also be noted that the Office of the Executive Mayor will establish a Bursary Fund in the year 2007 to assist 5 students over a period of completing their studies.  These students must obtain nothing less than 3 distinctions in their Matric examinations.  We are also engaging in training our staff on various skills to can be able to offer quality services to our people.  We have already used R164 000 in training 108 personnel in various disciplines. 
In June this year, we will be commencing with our learnership programme in Finance Management – and this will create at least 50 opportunities for our unemployed youth.

We can also assure our young people that the service level agreement between the Potchefstroom City Council and Umsobomvu Youth Fund will signed within this financial year – and this long-standing service will focus on skills development and youth empowerment.  We have secured R3 million for the employment of 7 youth, consultation services, computers and many other services - for the next 3 years including carrying out of activities of youth development of Umsobomvu and other stakeholders.

We are also in the process of establishing a Task Team that will be responsible for Human Rights and issues of Gender, Youth, Disability and so forth.  In implementing skills development plan, an Employment Equity Consultative Forum is established to develop a succession plan for our skills profile.  Our Employment Assistant Programme team will be conducting Peer Education Supervision workshops and we are also working hard in coming up with a policy on HIV/AIDS.  We would not want to see ourselves with an ailing institution in the future.
A number of policies are currently in the process of either being revised or developed.  We have sped up approved policy route and we would like to ensure that all our policies are in line with new legislation.  During this month, we will be establishing new Ward Committees in our 21 Wards.  After determining the dates for these establishments, the Speaker will ensure that the dates are published in the local press for all to notice.  We urge you to participate in your Ward Committees.   

There will also be training for newly elected Ward Committee members and Ward Councillors.  Councilors attended the SALGA Induction Programme this past week to empower themselves in delivering quality services to our people.  The Speaker’s Office is busy rolling out guidelines that will assist us in encouraging public participation on all levels of the municipality, for example attendance of Council meetings, inputs in policy-making, by-laws and Imbizos. 

Moradisi – diporojeke ya Matlo mo Extension 7 le matlo a le 112 mo Kanana di tla digelwa mo dikgweding di le 3 tse di tlang.  Re tshwanetse go leboga thata baagi ba mafelo a a umakilweng fa godimo fao, ka tirisano mmogo le kemonokeng ya bona.

Porojeke e e tumileng ya matlo ya Mayibuye le tse dingwe – di tla bona tlhabololo seswa mo bekeng e e tlang, go tsenyeletswa le matlo a a sentsweng a bapileng le sekolo sa Basupi.
 
Bagaetsho, go kwadisiwa ga matlo a kgale mo Ikageng go tsweletse ebile re setse re bone di-Tittle Deeds di le 200 – tse di tla neelwang beng ba tsona go tloga ka Mantaga o o latelang.  Re santse re tsweletse go baakanyetsa kago ya matlo a le 1000 mo Kanana le Promosa. 

The tenders for appointment of project managers will appear in the newspapers on Thursday 13 April 2006.  We have placed all the trained people in Construction Work at our Extension 7 Housing Project – and at least this had placed bread on the tables of many households. 

The vision of the municipality of Potchefstroom is, and I quote: “A transformed Potchefstroom Municipality striving for economic, social and human development through good governance” close quote.  Like I have mentioned above, the IDP remains a key instrument with which we can realize this vision. 

Chapter 6 of the Municipal Systems Act states that the IDP must guide all decisions regarding the development of the municipality in response to the real needs and aspirations of all its citizens.

The population of Potchefstroom has grown tremendously over the past decade.  In response to this growth, much has been achieved by way of addressing the issue of service backlogs and the provision of new services.  Important milestones in this regard include amongst others:

1. Planning and township establishment of approximately 12 000 erven
2. Electrification of 93% of all urban households
3. Provision of on-site water and sewerage connections to about 70% of all urban households
4. Construction of the new main sewer line and water reservoir for Ikageng
5. New regional waste landfill site built in accordance with best-practice environmental guidelines and regulations
6. Construction of road access intersections from Ikageng to the N12 and the extension of Lekhela Street to Ikageng Extension 7
7. Completion of 875 full-subsidy houses in Ikageng and many others that will take us the whole day to mention.

Since the year 2000, an average of 90% of the Council’s annual capital budget has been allocated to our previously disadvantaged areas in a concerted effort of reducing service backlogs within the amount of resources available to us.  Potchefstroom has a strong growth potention – and the two fundamental development issues facing us are poverty reduction and economic growth. 

Potchefstroom is well placed to attract investment in the tourism, especially with the Vredefort Dome World Heritage Site and the establishment of the Highveld National Park, high-tech manufacturing, retail, service and property development sectors.  The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism invested R7,5 million for the erection of a labour intensive fence at the Highvelfd National Park – and this has created several job opportunities.

The Council is committed to continue with the provision of free basic services in terms of 10 Kl of water (to all households) and 50 KWh of electricity per indigent household.  Currently about 18 000 households enjoy free basic water and about 4 500 households free basic electricity. 

Programme Director – we are spending R4,3 million on the water connections at Extension 7 and 11.  Sewerage connections for the same neighbourhoods will cost us R12 million.  We are also embarking on the following projects:

1. R2,8 million for the electricity connections
2. R5 million for the upgrading of Ikageng Substation
3. R1,9 million for the extension of Sarafina Road bus and taxi route
4. R9,2 million for the completion of Ikageng roads – completion will be made by June this year
5. R3,4 million for the development of regional cemetery – roads and toilets

There also several community-driven projects that the Council had invested upon, namely:

1. Extension 7 Water project – employs 99 persons
2. Extension 11 Water project – employs 66 persons
3. Erections of toilets in Promosa – employs 33 people

Re kgonne go bona madi a kana ka R2,8 million go tswa kwa Lottery Fund go baakanya Promosa Stadium, Ikageng Stadium, Mohadin Stadium le Tshwaraganang Centre for the people with disabilities.  Seno se tla tswela baagi mosola, segolobogolo baswa le bana ba rona mo Ikageng le Promosa. 

Di-tendera di tla tswa mo kgweding e.  Re tlile go rupella bangwe ba baagi go tswa mo di-Wateng go thusa Mmasepala go jala ditlhare mo malapeng a le 2 900.  Seno re se bone ka thuso ya Food and Trees for Africa le AngloGold Ashanti.

Re tlile go aga laeborari e ntshwa e e jang R3 million mo Extension 7 re bo re dirisa R500 000 go godisa ya kwa Promosa go kgontsha bagaetsho go fitlhelela kitso le phatlhoso.   Ke maikaelelo a rona go bona researcher e e tla re thusang go fitlhelela histori ya baagi ba Potchefstroom mo Porofenseng ya Bokone-Bophirima, mme re tla kwala buka ka diphitlhelelo tse re di boneng.

We also have a research project with Sweden, to find out about the Swedish Immigrants to South Africa and Potchefstroom in the 19th Century. The Swedish delegation is here with us today and will be leaving this evening for Sweden.  
The Local Arts and Culture Forum that was established in 2004 to serve as a vehicle of capacitating and empowering individuals and cultural formations – is finding its footing.  This unique Forum compiled a business plan so that it can be successful in their projects. 

Programme Director – we are investigating possible ways of further develop the Lakeside Holiday Resort to reach its potential.  The Adjudication Committee is currently screening all the proposals made by companies on this regard.  R3 million has been allocated by Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism for the promotion of N12 Treasure Route as a gateway from Gauteng to Cape Town. 

This project will be officially launched at the Tourism Indaba in May.  Still in May, we are going to launch a newspaper for kids, Bana-Balang Project worth R4 million – money that we received from the Lottery Fund.  We will also be evaluating the Informal trading policy, Tourism development policy and the SMME development policy.  

In the near future, we will be embarking on road safety, protection of the community against fires and other dangers and increased preparedness and vigilance of the community in a crisis and possible disasters.  We further urge our community to note that we do not have the same numbers for the Fire Services and the Ambulance services and I am making a plea to our people to use the following numbers when needing these services:

In the spirit of government punch line of “Together we can” – the people of Potchefstroom in a combined effort donated approximately R250 000 of goods and money of which R50 000 comes from the City Council for the flood-stricken people of Taung.  This noble gesture is prompted by the spirit of Ubuntu – where I can’t sit back doing nothing whist my brother, sister and parents are in dire straits. 

Do not allow negative people to influence you to believe that this was improper. Our belief is that human lives have no prize tags.  I also managed to twist arms of several businesses in Potchefstroom to donate – and I am proud to announce here that the response was well received. 

Our greatest gratitude to all those women and men who brought clothes and other perishables to assist the devastated people in those affected areas.
We are going to extend the Lesego clinic and build a new health centre in Ikageng.  The extension of Lesego clinic will start in June.  We are going to start with the final rehabilitation of the old Potchefstroom waste disposal facility in July this year. 

Programme Director, the ANC is determined to make sure that local government plays its role in the people’s contract to create work and fight poverty.  That it assumes its central place in the effort to build better communities, safer and more stable communities, and communities that have affordable services and access to economic opportunities. 

We are determined to respond to the shortage of skilled personnel that continues to limit the potential of many similar municipalities around the country. 

Local government needs, in particular, to benefit from the massive targeted investment in skills development that forms part of national government’s Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative (ASGISA). 

We will utilize our IDP to train more people, open up work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme, bring in more investment in areas with economic potential, and provide better health, water, sanitation and other services. 

These plans will be drawn up in consultation with our community, and this will be witnessed from large infrastructure projects that are being implemented throughout the City.  These projects will help create more work opportunities and stimulate local economic development.

We believe that, with your support – this leadership will take Potchefstroom to greater heights.  We assure you of our commitment and delivery of quality services.  Kgetsi ya tsie, e kgonwa ka go tshwaraganelwa.  A re ipopeng Ma-Afrika – re lwantsheng bohuma le tlala.  A Modimo a le tshegofatseng. 

Ke a leboga.