eMalahleni – Clean, potable water is a top priority for the newly elected mayor of eMalahleni Municipality, Vusi Nhlapho.Nhlapho was elected this afternoon, July 26, during a special council sitting at the municipality’s civic hall. Shortly after donning the mayoral chain, Nhlapho delivered an inspiring acceptance speech, emphasising that access to clean water is his primary service priority.”I commit the entire leadership collective to not rest until the people of eMalahleni have adequate access to clean, potable water,” he said. “Water is the lifeblood of our economy and essential for every household.”
Nhlapho added that the municipality is currently grappling with a daily deficit of bulk water due to demand overwhelming supply. “We have a daily deficiency of 60 megalitres; we can only supply 120 megalitres instead of the required 180 megalitres per day,” he explained. “This situation is aggravated by aging infrastructure and the exponential growth of our population.”
He then presented his reconfigured mayoral committee:
- Busi Hlumbane: MMC for Technical Services
- Faith Msibi: MMC for Finance
- Jerry Djiyane: MMC for Development Planning and Environment
- Nombuso Mokwane: MMC for Waste Management
- Betty Maphosa: MMC for Community Services
- Hessy Maseko: MMC for Corporate Services
“I once again take this opportunity to welcome and congratulate the restructured mayoral committee,” said Mayor Nhlapho. “Working with such a capable team, we should be able to report substantial progress in the next few months.”
Nhlapho also highlighted the following “quick wins” for his next 100 days:
- Improve revenue collection, reduce distribution losses, and support current revenue enhancement strategies.
- Pay attention to the top 30 creditors, in particular, by involving all internal stakeholders, including organised labour, to bring outsourcing under control.
- Closely monitor the AG Action Plan, Internal Audit Report, and Risk Register Report.
- Support all initiatives related to safer community concepts.
