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Metro leadership must be held accountable
Church in the Community - Media Release in the Herald: 5th September 2022
Source: TCN / Revd Xhantilomzi Mhlontlo
Date Added: 2022-09-06
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Issues - Social upliftment,
Date Added: 2022-09-06
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Issues - Social upliftment,
It is high time we as civil society ensure there is a sense of accountability by the political leaders who are in charge of the municipality.
All hands need to be on deck for the betterment of this municipality, which was named after one of the greatest leaders of all time, Nelson Mandela.
We all need to be solution-driven rather than to be problem-driven in our approach to resolve the challenges that we find ourselves in.
Nelson Mandela had this to say, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
I challenge all sectors, including the church in our respective communities, to play their part in ensuring that Nelson Mandela Bay metro reclaims its rightful place as an economically viable metro and a destination of choice.
The state of affairs in the Nelson Mandela Metro is beyond any amount of tolerance.
It cannot be that, as citizens of the Nelson Mandela Bay, the members of our congregations and other residents are forced to live in these deplorable conditions.
Local government is the sphere of government that is meant to be closest to the people.
But, sadly, it is not given the necessary attention and support at provincial and national level.
As a result, NMB is in a deplorable state of affairs that leaves much to be desired.
Streets are filthy and overgrown with grass patches. Roads are riddled with potholes, some the size of baths.
The city is dark, with so many lights out that it looks like a ghost city in parts. This creates a fertile hunting ground for criminal elements.
The current leadership situation in our municipality has aggravated matters by allowing a state of lawlessness to develop.
One wonders about the role of the metro police as you hardly see them on the road. We need visible law enforcement teams in our municipality.
It is worth noting that political instability is recognised as a contributing factor to the state of chaos we find our municipality in.
This absence of political leadership directly affects the functioning of the administration arm of the municipality, and this directly impacts on service delivery, which is the fundamental pillar of local government.
Political differences and one-upmanship usually take a centre stage at the expense of service delivery and interest of populace.
It is enshrined in Chapter 7 of our Constitution that the objectives of local government are to:
Our political leadership seem to have lost sight of these objectives, and the result is the steady decline of the metro.
Good governance is the essential framework within which business can flourish and provide economic prosperity, and ordinary citizens (many of whom look to the church for guidance and support) can seek to have their health, education and welfare needs met.
The key elements of good governance include accountability, providing value for money (rates and taxes), and responding to the needs of citizens.
Some well-known factors which contribute to poor service delivery are lack of community participation, lack of coherent leadership, inadequate service delivery skills, political instability, corruption and ineffective strategic management.
Unfortunately, our beloved municipality is intricately affected by most of the above-mentioned factors.
Hence, we find ourselves in this deplorable state of affairs
There is one key question that we need to respond to collectively as stakeholders in order to save our "ravaged" municipality.
How can service delivery be improved in our municipality?
There is a large number of services that municipality ought to provide without fail, the most important of which are:
All the above are the barometer to measure efficacy of our municipality, but sadly things are not going accordingly as it is evident for all to see.
There is hope for our municipality, a metro full of potential beyond our imagination, if we can have concerted effort to work together for the common good for all the affected parties.
It is time to for church leaders to act, to stand up for our congregants and to facilitate the changes needed to ensure there is good leadership and proper governance.
It cannot be business as usual. Not under our watch.
Reverend Xhantilomzi Mhlontlo
Anglican Church of Southern Africa Diocese of Port Elizabeth
All hands need to be on deck for the betterment of this municipality, which was named after one of the greatest leaders of all time, Nelson Mandela.
We all need to be solution-driven rather than to be problem-driven in our approach to resolve the challenges that we find ourselves in.
Nelson Mandela had this to say, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
I challenge all sectors, including the church in our respective communities, to play their part in ensuring that Nelson Mandela Bay metro reclaims its rightful place as an economically viable metro and a destination of choice.
The state of affairs in the Nelson Mandela Metro is beyond any amount of tolerance.
It cannot be that, as citizens of the Nelson Mandela Bay, the members of our congregations and other residents are forced to live in these deplorable conditions.
Local government is the sphere of government that is meant to be closest to the people.
But, sadly, it is not given the necessary attention and support at provincial and national level.
As a result, NMB is in a deplorable state of affairs that leaves much to be desired.
Streets are filthy and overgrown with grass patches. Roads are riddled with potholes, some the size of baths.
The city is dark, with so many lights out that it looks like a ghost city in parts. This creates a fertile hunting ground for criminal elements.
The current leadership situation in our municipality has aggravated matters by allowing a state of lawlessness to develop.
One wonders about the role of the metro police as you hardly see them on the road. We need visible law enforcement teams in our municipality.
It is worth noting that political instability is recognised as a contributing factor to the state of chaos we find our municipality in.
This absence of political leadership directly affects the functioning of the administration arm of the municipality, and this directly impacts on service delivery, which is the fundamental pillar of local government.
Political differences and one-upmanship usually take a centre stage at the expense of service delivery and interest of populace.
It is enshrined in Chapter 7 of our Constitution that the objectives of local government are to:
- Provide democratic and accountable government for local communities
- Ensure the "provision of services" to communities in a sustainable manner
- Promote "social and economic development"
- Promote a "safe" and healthy environment.
- Encourage the "involvement of communities and community organisations" in the matters of local government.
Our political leadership seem to have lost sight of these objectives, and the result is the steady decline of the metro.
Good governance is the essential framework within which business can flourish and provide economic prosperity, and ordinary citizens (many of whom look to the church for guidance and support) can seek to have their health, education and welfare needs met.
The key elements of good governance include accountability, providing value for money (rates and taxes), and responding to the needs of citizens.
Some well-known factors which contribute to poor service delivery are lack of community participation, lack of coherent leadership, inadequate service delivery skills, political instability, corruption and ineffective strategic management.
Unfortunately, our beloved municipality is intricately affected by most of the above-mentioned factors.
Hence, we find ourselves in this deplorable state of affairs
There is one key question that we need to respond to collectively as stakeholders in order to save our "ravaged" municipality.
How can service delivery be improved in our municipality?
- Provide better communication
- Identify and address barriers to quality service
- Respond efficiently to customer concerns.
There is a large number of services that municipality ought to provide without fail, the most important of which are:
- Water supply
- Sewage collection and disposal
- Refuse removal
- Electricity supply
- Municipal health services
- Municipal roads and storm water drainage
- Street lighting
- Municipal parks and recreation
- Safety and security
All the above are the barometer to measure efficacy of our municipality, but sadly things are not going accordingly as it is evident for all to see.
There is hope for our municipality, a metro full of potential beyond our imagination, if we can have concerted effort to work together for the common good for all the affected parties.
It is time to for church leaders to act, to stand up for our congregants and to facilitate the changes needed to ensure there is good leadership and proper governance.
It cannot be business as usual. Not under our watch.
Reverend Xhantilomzi Mhlontlo
Anglican Church of Southern Africa Diocese of Port Elizabeth
Source: TCN / Revd Xhantilomzi Mhlontlo
Date Added: 2022-09-06
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Issues - Social upliftment,
Back to News IndexDate Added: 2022-09-06
Category: General News, TCN News, Issues - General, Issues - Politics, Issues - Social upliftment,
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