eThekwini Municipality - FULL COUNCIL DECISIONS 13/08/20152015-08-13 FULL COUNCIL DECISIONS
THE WAY FORWARD FOR DURBAN TRANSPORT The Durban Municipal bus service will be run as a separate Municipal entity similar to the Chief Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre and uShaka Marine World. This was unanimously agreed upon at a special seating of Full Council held today, 13/08/2015 at Mpumalanga Sizakala Centre, G7 Shezi Main Road, Mpumalanga. The recommendation to run the Durban public bus service through an external mechanism, in the form of a Municipal entity, was approved. The bus service is currently run by a private company. The second recommendation accepted at Council regarding the entity was that City Manager Sibusiso Sithole be authorised to invoke provisions of Section 84 of the Municipal Finance Management Act and ensure compliance. The Act outlines the establishment and the financial governance of a Municipal Entity and what processes are to be followed. The formation of the entity is now in the planning stages. Deputy Mayor Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala welcomed the decision and said all due processes were followed in reaching this decision. “We did not short circuit the process to correct what has happened in the past. Necessary steps taken were community consultation and then labour consultation. These two play a critical role in dealing with the issue as we were not dealing with just the physical buses,†she said. The Deputy-Mayor said there were three possible solutions to the bus issue, but creating a separate Municipal entity was the best option. The other options included relooking at the issue of privatization of the bus service or creating a department within the Municipality to run the buses. “Creating an entity was the best option as we would still be able to obtain subsidies from the Provincial and National Government for the service. Officials must continue working towards forming the entity,†she said. Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo said the purpose of forming the entity was to strengthen the bus service in communities where the service was poor or non-existent. “This decision will ensure that the bus service is efficient for all people in EThekwini,†he said. APPOINTMENT OF TWO DEPUTY CITY MANAGERS WELCOMED The appointment of two Deputy City Managers was approved and welcomed at Full Council today. Simphiwe Duma will be appointed as the Deputy City Manager: Trading Services Cluster while Philemon Mashoko will be appointed as the Deputy City Manager: Human Settlements, Engineering Services and Transport. Deputy Mayor Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala addressed concerns raised regarding the appointments. The Deputy-Mayor said the process for employment for senior officialls was followed for both candidates which included a psychometric test being done before interviews were conducted. “The City Manager and Deputy City Manager of Human Resources also did a thorough investigation and based on that report, appointments were made. There is nothing hindering us from employing the candidates,†she said. City Manager Sibusiso Sithole said he was satisfied with the interview process and subsequent appointments. ADJUSTMENTS BUDGET APPROVED BY FULL COUNCIL The detailed Adjustment Budget 2014/15 was accepted at the special seating of Full Council in Hammersdale, today. The report contained additional adjustments to the 2014/15 Budget pertaining to adjustments in respect of grant funding allocations to the Municipality and reallocation of budgets (capital projects) to maximise capital spend and expedite delivery. The adjustment budget also contained details of roll-overs of unspent grants from the previous financial year. ENDS Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Head, Tozi Mthethwa. For more information members of the media can contact Gugu Sisilana on 031 311 4855 or email: gugu.mbonambi@durban.gov.za or Princess Nkabane on 031 311 4818 or princess.nkabane@durban.gov.za |
eThekwini Municipality - FULL COUNCIL DECISIONS 13/08/2015
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