Johannesburg - The mayor of Johannesburg, Mpho Phalatse, said the city had set aside more than R1bn for strategic power supply to cushion it from prolonged power outages during load shedding.
Phalatse was speaking at the Walter Sisulu Sports Complex in Randburg, where she engaged entity managers and employees.
She said prolonged blackouts contributed to crime and vandalism of infrastructure, and placed a strain on economic development and the functioning of the city.
"I know that this region and many parts of the city suffer extended hours without power due to factors such as aged infrastructure, the effects of rolling blackouts that place strain on our infrastructure and stretch human resources, and illegal electricity connections.
“This is why we have dedicated R1.2 billion to City Power for infrastructure upgrades and an additional R1.6 billion for the reduction of power outages; in addition to this, we have gone out to the market to source alternative energy sources directly from independent power producers so that Johannesburg does not rely on Eskom to keep the lights on," Phalatse said.
Phalatse said as part of her service delivery objectives, she will include regional directors in mayoral committee meetings where decisions will be taken concerning service delivery in different communities.
"It is the role of the multiparty government along with the city administration led by the City Manager as the entity management to ensure that women and men on the front line of service delivery are provided with the necessary tools to do their work in service of residents; this why we chose not only to deliver speeches but to also hear from you and walk through the region so we can see and hear for ourselves where the gap exists," Phalatse said.
She said already there had been tremendous progress in regions across the city in terms of service delivery but admitted more needed to be done to ensure that future generations have a functional city where they can live and work.
"As politicians, we cannot just rely on reports to make an assessment regularly; we must get our hands dirty and walk through the journey, even the difficult parts. Getting the basics right and repairing and rebuilding Johannesburg is not a job for an individual or the executive alone; it is our collective responsibility," Phalatse said.
The Star