“There are many aspects to creating a sustainable and reliable local government. Good governance and financial management are key, but to make it all work together in the service of or community, we need to listen. Our residents want to know that they are heard, that as a government we respect their inputs and value their contributions.”
With these words Executive Mayor of Swartland Alderman Harold Cleophas launched the Siyamamela project. Siyamamela is a Xhosa word that translates to “we listen”.
Over the next few weeks, the Executive Mayor, mayoral committee members and members of the municipal administration will take to the streets of all 12 wards in Swartland, speaking to residents about their needs and challenges.
The first of these visits have already taken place in Wards 1 and 2 (Koringberg and Moorreesburg). Residents were surprised and happy to see their local government leaders in their communities, actively taking an interest in issues affecting their daily lives. Cleophas spoke to several residents, asking them where they feel the municipality can improve and what they think the shortcomings are. Residents spoke candidly about their challenges.
It was clear from the conversations that residents feel strongly about crime and clean communities. The Mayor assured residents that challenges directly linked to the municipality can be budgeted and planned for. However, many challenges residents experience are also due to the failure of services at a national government level.
Cleophas and other officials took the opportunity to inform residents how various services work and how they can access municipal services, and he shared his various initiatives for addressing challenges with law enforcement and cleaning towns and neighbourhoods.
The first of these is the EPWP 120 project. From 1 March the municipality launched a project for that will run for eight months, deploying 10 EPWP workers to each ward in the Swartland.
The workers were all recruited from the local area ensuring a fair opportunity for all residents. They will help clean the towns and focus on especially problematic areas in each ward.
The municipality is also recruiting 20 reaction unit officers that will assist with law enforcement. They will be deployed across the Swartland and assist with visible policing and making its communities safer for all its residents.
Meanwhile, the Siyamamela project is in full swing, and residents in remaining wards should keep a lookout for the Mayor and his team.
