We will continue to make progress in Midvaal 

11 May 2016

On May 18 2011, the majority of our people in Midvaal renewed and expressed their unwavering confidence in the Democratic Alliance, not just because we were popular, but because they believed in the offering contained in our manifesto. 

Our people responded resolutely to our offer, and employed their democratic right and voted us into office to realise the promise of our manifesto.  The right to vote is one that we dare not take lightly.  The democratic South Africa was born as a result of great sacrifices by selfless men and women, some of whom paid the ultimate price for what we, at times, take for granted. 

Indeed, my generation is standing on the shoulders of giants, and it is now our turn to build on the foundation laid by our elders, and to make our own contribution towards the progress of South Africa and her people. 

Despite real economic challenges faced at a national level, we want to reassure you that Midvaal will continue to provide the best quality of services available under difficult circumstances. 

Indeed, we have maintained a collection rate average of 93% over the past five years.  We met 92% of performance targets in the 2014/2015 financial year, and are well on track with the current financial year.

Despite the difficult situation, we will continue to make progress. 

In 2011, we promised through our manifesto to:

1. Reduce poverty through creating growth and jobs

-  Midvaal has a 70.5% economically active population, and currently has the lowest unemployment rate in the province.  

- Over the past few years, the people of Midvaal would have seen the growth and development occurring along the R59, and other hubs within Midvaal, with companies such as Heineken, Paramount Trailers, New Hope, BSI Steel and Twin Boats establishing and growing their businesses within our municipality.

- Sedibeng Brewery was a R3.5 billion investment, creating 3500 construction jobs, and currently looking to expand its supply chain locally, through purchasing barley from 32 local farmers.  

- The Ferrero Factory in Walkerville employs over 200 people, and Paramount Trailers has expanded their operations massively in the past five years, employing around 300 people currently. 

Our combination of good governance and proper management of public funds have increased investor confidence into the area, attracting an interest in more than R10 billion in investment. 

- We have actively pursued investment interests by hosting a range of international delegations, from countries as diverse as China, the USA and Kenya, as part of our strategy to showcase Midvaal as the ideal investment hub.  

- We have recently implemented a local labour register, where people from Midvaal can submit their details, for consideration when seasonal and part-time jobs arise at the municipality. 

So far, we have created 115 opportunities within the parks section, for 6 month contracts and 25 opportunities within the waste section for 12 month contracts.  We also created over 900 jobs through the CWP programme last year.

Availability of the correct infrastructure also plays a key role in the ability of a municipality to attract potential investors.  

The upgrade to the Regional Sewer Scheme is one such initiative which will facilitate growth in the area.

The current expansion to the Meyerton Waste Water Treatment Works is a project which will increase the capacity of the plant from 10 Megalitres per Day to 25 Megalitres per Day, which substantially increases the capacity of the municipality to facilitate development for the next 15 to 20 years. 

In attracting growth and investment, we have made progress.

Over the past three years, we have also placed a strong emphasis on our agricultural strategy in Midvaal, sharing the vision of an agri-tropolis with our people.  We appointed a service provider to provide an overall Turnkey Management Solution for Midvaal, which included a:

- Market Feasibility Study

- Monitoring, coordination and facilitation of stakeholder consultation

- Community Engagement

- Facilitation of training for capacity building, skills development and technical production

- Financial management and marketing programme

Through the service provider, we have provided training to various cooperatives in the area, assisted them with access to markets and provided on-farm support and mentorship.  We have developed an agricultural development strategy which shapes our vision to facilitate the growth and development of farmers within our area.  We have also allocated 300 hectares of municipal land to be used for agricultural initiatives by small farmers in Midvaal. 

2.Deliver Services for all

Over the past five years, we have upgraded, and installed play equipment and sports equipment in 16 parks around Midvaal, including an outdoor gym in Sicelo and planted over 2000 trees across Midvaal. 

Growth has led to increased traffic and congestion around the central areas of town, and we have invested in installing traffic circles in the busiest areas to facilitate ease of movement for commuters within the Meyerton area.  

We spend a portion of our budget each year on buying new books for Midvaal’s libraries, so that we can best serve our communities, and we currently have around 114 000 books in 6 libraries across Midvaal. 

From 2011 until 2015, we have spent R19 million in Sicelo, and R 23 million in Lakeside on capital projects, as well as an additional R7million for gravel to tar programmes in these 2 areas.  

We have spent R50million on general projects across wards 1, 6, 8, and 10, which are the areas where disadvantaged communities are located, and which will create a benefit for the people living in these areas.  

We have handed over 1000 title deeds to the residents of Sicelo, and are there is an ongoing process to do the same in Lakeside, recognising ownership of properties, and enabling people in these areas to have security of tenure, and an asset in their name.  

We have built a Sports Stadium and outdoor gym to add to the community hall and library in Sicelo, we have built a library in Lakeside, and will add a sports field there soon, and we have started construction on the housing project in Mamello.  

And what it is important to note is that we have not simply provided a small, standard, tick-the-box type of facility in these areas – we have provided world class facilities of the highest standard.  

We are building RDP houses on prime land overlooking the Vaal Marina dam, which would once have been the preserve of the rich.  

One of our greatest commitments towards improving the process of service delivery, was the reworking of the IDP document.  We worked to create a realistic, understandable document structured around the principle of forward planning, and designed in a way which provides for effective and efficient implementation.  One of the methods we employed to improve the quality of our IDP document, was to

- In an attempt to further our culture of excellence, we have collaborated with the Ethics Institute of South Africa on a project which will capacitate the municipality in terms of ethical leadership and the further prevention of corruption. 

- We will continue working to ensure that clean audits become the norm of the municipality, in keeping with the practices of good governance that you have come to expect from a DA-led government. 

In cutting corruption, we have made progress.

Our biggest victory to date has been on the issue of the Municipal Demarcation Board.  

The fact that we still exist today is a tribute to the legitimacy of our institution, and our unfailing commitment to ensure that we continue to serve our people.  We were given a direct mandate from the people of Midvaal to fight to maintain our municipal boundaries, and even those who did not vote for us, supported our opposition of the MDB move to merge Midvaal.  

I want to reiterate our thanks to all those who stood behind us, and assure you that we are ready to fight the next battle.  When the 2021 elections come around, there will still remain a Midvaal Local Municipality, independent, and thriving. 

So as we stand here today, what is the State of the Municipality?

We want freedom for all our people, and we want progress for all our people. We recognise that we cannot have one without the other.  That to have your rights protected on paper, but to have no access to a job, to a home or to basic services, is not freedom.  

That equally, to have money but to harbour hatred towards your neighbours of different races or backgrounds, is not freedom.  The process must occur simultaneously. We must have freedom in our laws, freedom in our choices, freedom in our opportunities and freedom in our minds. 

Progress is essential for any society, but it is not inevitable.  It is something we must actively strive for, improve upon and refine. Midvaal is proud of where we have come from, and of our achievements thus far.  But we must plan for a future that instils even more pride, a future that inspires confidence and hope. 

As we contemplate what the future will look like for Midvaal, I will spend the next three months laying the foundation for this vision of a future Midvaal we can all be proud of.

I would like to present my contribution towards that future Midvaal today, by sharing the concept for the Kgatelopele Programme, which is going to change lives for many people in Midvaal!

Midvaal like other municipalities has an obligation to support and promote the development of the youth within its municipal jurisdiction through programmes that are aimed at: 

- Skills development and training

- Entrepreneurship

- Business development

- Support for Co-operatives and Small Micro Medium Enterprises 

- Support for graduates who can’t find employment  

We will propose the Kgatelopele programme to Council on 26 May, and the essence of the programme is as follows:  

Phase 1 of the Kgatelopele initiative will involve identifying 250 young people in Midvaal, and providing them with training and skills in business development and entrepreneurship, with the vision that they will create employment for themselves and their peers.  As a catalyst in the process, the municipality will provide training in service delivery sectors such as grass-cutting, fixing water leaks or filling potholes.  

These young people will then form cooperatives which can provide the services which they were trained in as a starting point.  The municipality has identified almost R7 million worth of job opportunities within service delivery that can be accessed by the youth cooperatives.   We are in the process of lobbying the private sector to localise their supply chains, which should create further opportunities for these youth cooperatives to tap into.  

We want to enable the youth of Midvaal to step forward – Kgatelopele. 

We will continue making progress in Midvaal under a DA government. 

Our journey of progress has been one that involved the support of many people.

To those who voted us in and gave us the opportunity to serve Midvaal, and bring progress to its people, I thank you.

Issued by Bongani Baloyi, Executive Mayor of Midvaal, 11 May 2016