Revealed – true state of the city
Mayor Mashaba delivers first Soca
“I stand before you today to deliver to the residents of our City, perhaps for the first time, the true State of our City.”
This is how the Executive Mayor for the City of Johannesburg (CoJ), councillor Herman Mashaba opened his maiden State of the City Address (Soca) on Tuesday, 3 May – nine months after being elected as the new mayor.
Also Read: Mayor delivers first State of The City Address
The Soca was delivered in the newly built Council Chambers and Mashaba commented that even though the R360 million Council Chamber amazed him, he was also saddened by it. “It truly is a spectacular building, however, I am left thinking about all of the roads, houses and clinics that could have been built with this money,” he said.
“Much progress has been made and today I am pleased to report to you where we stand on these matters,” he said. One of the significant projects to be mentioned is the launch of extended hours at the Princess Clinic. The clinic was chosen as a pilot project and started with the new hours in November 2016. “I am equally delighted to stand here today and inform you that the project has been a resounding success. From November 2016 through to February 2017, in just three months, a total of 10 791 patients visited the Princess Clinic. As a reflection on the need for the extended operating hours, almost 3 000 of those patients were seen during the extended hours. We have experienced a few emergency cases and patients’ lives were saved in two specific cases,” Mashaba said.
Based on the success of the pilot project, extended operating hours have been implemented in an additional five clinics in Freedom Park, Hikensile, Randburg, Zandspruit and Albert Street in the inner city.
“I am pleased to announce that the model of extended operating hours at clinics is now going to be replicated in our community library facilities, and in the new financial year we will be rolling out extended operating hours at 10 Regional Libraries across the city. They will provide a safe, conducive environment for communities to access these facilities, and for learners to study in the right kind of environment,” Mashaba said. The libraries will operate from 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays in the following areas:
• Florida
• Diepsloot and Ivory Park North
• Randburg
• Protea North
• Sandton
• Yeoville
• Orange Farm and Ennerdale
During the address, Mashaba highlighted some of the other progress already made, including:
• The allocation of R546 million for the purpose of electrifying incomplete housing units
• The allocation of R41 million to electrify five informal settlements where children have never studied with even the assistance of a light bulb
• The allocation of R51 million for the purchase of additional buses for Metro Bus, with a further R5 million for the refurbishment of our current fleet, to ease the burden of people getting around our city
• We have initiated a programme of tarring roads in impoverished areas in Doornkop, Lawley, Mayibuye, Tshepisong, Protea South and Ivory Park
• We have increased funding to the Johannesburg Social Housing Company to the tune of R219 million
• The allocation of R49 million to Pikitup for additional cleaning shifts
• The allocation of R2 million for the construction of homeless shelters
Mashaba concluded by saying, “As the Executive Mayor of this City, I do not get to pick and choose my responsibilities. I have inherited a City, and mine is to accept the full and unconditional responsibility to work on making our City a better place for all of its residents.”
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