The MEC for
the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA),
Mr Lebogang Maile, has congratulated the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Council for
successfully electing a new Mayor following the resignation of Mr Herman
Mashaba. Maile says “this provides a strategic direction for the CoJ to
re-constitute a new administration and fast track service delivery to the
residents of the City”. However, the MEC raises a concern regarding council
progress in electing the Speaker. “We note with great concern the collapse of
the Council sitting yesterday, following a motion of no confidence against the
Speaker and want to appeal to all parties to conduct themselves in a manner
that will uphold the integrity of Council precepts, especially in the public
eye as this is crucial in ensuring legitimacy”. The MEC was addressing a media
briefing in Emoyeni Conference Centre this morning. 
 
The MEC
reiterated the expectations of the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) on the
new Johannesburg Mayor, Mr Geoff Makhubu, that GPG expect the new Mayor and
administration to speedily respond to the following urgent challenges:
 
Spending on
grant funding to accelerate delivery of houses to the people of Johannesburg; restore
the COJ and its entities to a sound financial footing in order to address
service delivery backlogs; enforce respect for the rule of law and restore
order, so as to curtail the unwanted phenomenon of illegal land invasions,
which has a detrimental effect on much needed development within the CoJ; and
to strengthen working relations and cooperation between the CoJ and Provincial
Government to meet service delivery targets and achieve our developmental
objectives, in line with the Growing Gauteng Together mantra. 

​