City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya is expected to “speak directly” to the residents when she delivers her maiden State of the Capital City Address (SoCA) on Thursday, setting the new multi-party coalition’s service delivery agenda for the year ahead.
The speech, titled “Our Capital, Our Pride: Making Progress Together”, will build on the work since the new administration took over in October last year and will be anchored on its priorities that include financial stability, accelerated service delivery, economic revitalisation, safety and cleanliness, social services, strengthening governance and customer relations.
Last year’s SoCA delivered by Moya’s predecessor, the DA’s Cllr Cilliers Brink, also focused on improving the city’s finances and improving service delivery – two key challenges for the municipality for many years now. This time the new administration has added economic revitilisation – both of the city centre and the townships – as part of its priorities.
The address comes soon after Moya tabled the council’s draft budget for public comment, the first one to be fully funded since 2021.
While the budget was widely hailed, the DA decried the fact that the city’s financial recovery was being placed on the shoulders of the already-overburdened residents who will pay more in rates and for services.
The city's revenue collection and debt recovery campaign has also been met with some resistance from some sections of the residents and the local business community. The Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville, and Saulsville Civic Association (Lasca) has vowed to boycott its budget outreach programmes until their grievances about the Metro’s debt-relief incentive scheme are addressed.
Some businesses have questioned the city's Tshwane Ya Tima campaign whereby defaulters have their services cut off to ensure they paid. The civic group wants outstanding municipal bills written off for indigent households.
Mayoral spokesperson Zintle Mahlati said in a statement on Tuesday that the mayor “will speak directly to the residents of Tshwane” in an address centred on the theme: Our Capital, Our Pride: Making Progress Together.
“The SoCA is an important occasion to present to residents this administration’s service delivery agenda for the year ahead. It will be anchored in the government’s priority areas,” she said.