Tshwane Mayor talks challenges and growth plans for the metro
JOHANNESBURG - The City of Tshwane is facing an jobs crisis.
It has a staggering 37,8% unemployment rate, mainly affecting young people.
Now the metro plans to use R98 million of its budget to formalise 502 informal settlements, and allocate an additional R400 million to provide them with water and electricity.
Despite the seemingly daunting challenge, Mayor Nasiphi Moya, is confident the city's Economic Revitalisation Strategy will help make a dent in unemployment.
She hopes to grow the local economy to 3,9% by 2029.
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IOL News
2 days ago
- IOL News
One year later: Margate's local businesses struggle to recover after April 2024 floods
File image of damages caused by the April 2024 flash flood in Margate on the KZN South Coast. Image: Johan Steyn More than a year after a devastating flash flood lashed Margate, the "gem" of the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, many local businesses still face an uphill battle in their recovery. The floods of April 2024, which claimed five lives and devastated numerous homes and businesses, have left scars that are still evident throughout the town. Gary Wridgway, who owned a mini golf business called The Duck and Putt in Margate, said his business was a success before the floods destroyed everything. 'When the floods came I lost everything in my business, my ducks and geese that I had as an attraction were scattered all across the Margate area. Fortunately, they were all recovered. The concrete slabs for the mini golf were all ripped up and broken,' he said. Following the incident, Wridgway recalled that there were roughly 10 vehicles from neighbouring properties dispersed on the property. He also noted that his tuckshop was submerged in almost two metres of water, resulting in a half-metre of mud and extensive damage afterwards. 'I unfortunately was unable to recover or restore anything. I had just finished renovating and had spent all my money,' said Wridgway. According to Wridgway, there was talk of a government relief fund that was quoted at R400,000 to rebuild his business alone. 'It never came through. My landlord expected me to restore the ground and be up and running within 3 months before continuing to pay rent; therefore, I had to leave,' he lamented. Based on his observations, Wridgway said there evidence still remains of the flood throughout Margate. 'The effort to clean up has been slow at best; the only work being done is by the community to my knowledge,' he said, adding that The Duck and Putt still looks like a disaster site. 'I am still trying to recover from my financial loss brought on by the floods; it has been one of the toughest years of my life,' he said. File image of a damaged vehicle following the April 2024 flash flood in Margate on the KZN South Coast. Image: Johan Steyn Ivor Shead, owner of One-Stop Mobile Mechanic, said he has been forced to try and run his car repair business from his home since the flood. Shead's workshop, which he was renting, was completely destroyed, including nine vehicles and a trailer that were washed away. 'It's a struggle, things aren't what they once were, and we're simply doing the best we can,' he said. He further explained that no repairs have been undertaken on the rental property since the flood, and due to what he had lost, he was not willing to stay there. 'With the clients' cars, tools and other things, we lost just over R2 million,' he said. In terms of being able to pay bills from month to month since the flood, Shead said he is in arrears for about R40,000. According to Shead, they were asked to fill in forms for relief, but he has not received any feedback yet. 'Even the government, when they sent the council down to see what we lost, they've never come back to us either,' he said. File image of damages caused by the April 2024 flash flood outside Wimpy in Margate on the KZN South Coast. Image: Johan Steyn Shead believes not enough has been done to restore Margate to what it was before the flood. 'That whole area is still a mess. Even the area where Wimpy was, the council is only starting to repair that now. Margate will never be the same.' He added that all the people he knows who were affected by the flood are struggling. 'We tried to get back up on our feet, but it's really hard. I was with one guy now; he was doing woodwork. He is also struggling.' Reggie Lantz, whose panel-beating workshop, including 16 vehicles he was working on, in Margate was washed away during the flood said he is struggling to get back up on his feet. 'The workshop washed away, and I lost everything: my vehicle, my tools, everything,' he said. Repairs to paving outside the Wimpy on the beachfront in Margate last month. A flash flood in April last year damaged infrastructure, businesses and houses. Image: Alan Bosch Lantz said the infrastructure that was damaged during the flood has not been fixed, and he is now using a different workshop on the same property. 'Business is very quiet; I'm in arrears with everything because of the flood. I'm behind with my rent here; I'm behind with rent at my house. It's tough, and we are just trying to make ends meet,' he said. With regard to relief from the government, Lantz said, 'nobody helped us with anything. Nobody came and assisted us; they all came here with their cameras and everybody, and that was it". Alan Bosch, Margate councillor, recalled how Margate was devastated by the flood a year ago and that the beach areas were particularly affected. 'The damage to the infrastructure was immense, and although there has been some progress, there is still a lot to be done to restore the paving, railings, toilets and building damage to an acceptable standard,' he said. Bosch highlighted that Margate is a prime holiday destination for the south coast area and that the effect on businesses and tourism has been devastating. 'While funding from the central government has been sparse, we still need the local government to act,' he said. Margate councillor Alan Bosch has started a petition to fix Margate Beach in an effort to speed up the process to address some issues, including decay of buildings, walkways and toilet facilities among others. Image: Alan Bosch On a positive note, Bosch said the Olympic swimming pool is once again open and operating and 'looks magnificent.' 'There is also a team on the ground busy with the restoration of the paving on the main beachfront,' he said. He noted that there is also a strong law enforcement presence in the Margate beach area. Bosch stated that the most positive thing for Margate is the activities undertaken by the Tidy Towns team, who manage under difficult conditions to keep the beach area clean and safe for residents and holidaymakers alike. 'What is required, however, is to rectify the decay of buildings, walkways and facilities, particularly toilet facilities,' he said. With that in mind, Bosch launched a petition under the Democratic Alliance banner to encourage the authorities to prioritise the restoration of the beach facilities. Margate councillor Alan Bosch has started a petition to fix Margate Beach in an effort to speed up the process to address some issues at the beach including decay of buildings, walkways and toilet facilities among others. Image: Alan Bosch The ongoing campaign called Petition to fix Margate Beach has garnered support from more than 2,600 residents to date. 'I am getting some co-operation in addressing some issues, but the process needs to be sped up,' said Bosch. The KwaZulu-Natal Department: Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea), Ugu District Municipality and Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality did not respond to several requests for comment. Former KZN Edtea MEC Siboniso Duma, who visited the area following the flood with local government leadership, said it is unfortunate that the gains the province has made in its quest to ensure economic recovery and the growth of tourism are threatened by recurring storms and floods. Duma said climate change is the biggest threat to human development. 'Climate change is affecting almost every sector of the economy in this province. Therefore, it is important that stakeholders work together to tackle both adaptation and mitigation.' In response to questions about what progress has been made to restore Margate to what the town was before the flood, South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) referred the queries to Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- The Citizen
Tshwane unveils new cherry pickers to get services off the ground
Tshwane unveils new cherry pickers to get services off the ground Non-functional streetlights and non-regular tree pruning could be things of the past for Tshwane after the metro unveiled a fleet of 14 cherry pickers to get service delivery off the ground. The metro unveiled 14 out of its 100 cherry picker fleet on June 3, aimed to reduce reliance on costly private contractors, improve service delivery turnaround times and address deteriorating services. Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya and MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Kholofelo Morodi, officially received the fleet of new cherry pickers and oversaw the reopening of the Pretorius Park fleet workshop in the east of Pretoria. Approval of Embedded Generation and Energy Wheeling Policies-a bog step on the City's energy transition Media Statement @CityTshwane @kholofeloMorodi @nasiphim — MMC Frans Boshielo (@MMCBoshielo) June 2, 2025 According to Morodi, this forms part of his administration's broader strategy to reduce dependence on private contractors and rebuild the city's internal technical and operational capacity. 'The acquisition of municipal-owned cherry pickers is aimed at enabling city departments to carry out critical maintenance and repairs directly, without the delays and excessive costs associated with outsourcing,' she said. Morodi said for years, basic services in Tshwane were handed over to external contractors, often at enormous expense to ratepayers. 'During this period, internal departments were left without the tools, personnel or infrastructure to respond effectively to community needs,' she explained. 'The result was slower turnaround times, poor accountability, and deteriorating service delivery.' Morodi explained the importance of reopening the Pretorius Park depot. 'The reopening of the Pretorius Park depot gives the city an operational hub to manage its growing fleet, ensuring quicker response times, better control over resources, and improved transparency in the use of public funds,' she said. 'The workshop was closed due to outsourcing of workshop services. The reopening of this facility will enable the metro to enhance fleet management capabilities, reduce downtime, and improve overall efficiency using its own internal staff,' she added. According to Morodi, the workshop will focus on vehicles for water and sanitation, energy and electricity, thereby reducing the turnaround time for repairs of vehicles servicing these critical departments. 'The handover of cherry pickers and the revival of the fleet workshop reflect a shift in focus: away from private interests and toward public value. These developments form part of a wider effort to fix the fundamentals of service delivery – getting resources to the ground where they are most needed and ensuring communities receive reliable, dignified services.' We had promised residents that we build in-house capability and reduce reliance on contractors. Today's launch also included the re-opening of the City of Tshwane's Pretorius Park Workshop Depot. This workshop was closed for over 6 years as the City relied on contractors and… — Dr Nasiphi Moya (@nasiphim) June 3, 2025 Moya said the unveiled cherry pickers will be distributed to regional teams to enhance service delivery. 'This first batch of 14 vehicles forms part 100 that we expect in this financial year,' she said. She said for years, the Tshwane workforce has grappled with a shortage of tools to do its work. This is a turning point in providing reliable services to our residents. 'We have over 18 000 officials in Tshwane. They were all complaining about tools of trade, so we are on the right step of providing them with tools to do their work. 'We had promised residents we would build in-house capability and reduce reliance on contractors,' she said. The Pretorius Park Workshop Depot was closed for over six years as the city relied on contractors and further located depots to service vehicles. Moya said some other equipment and trade tools will be unveiled this financial year. Just rode in one of our brand-new cherrypickers at the Pretorius Park Depot. This isn't just a vehicle — it's a symbol of Tshwane valuing our workers as well, which is why these trucks have a crew cab. We're rebuilding capacity, cutting waste, and delivering for our people.… — Kholofelo Morodi (@kholofeloMorodi) June 3, 2025 Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
5 days ago
- The Citizen
SARS to support metro's Reclaim Our City operations
The Tshwane metro and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) recently announced their intention to form a partnership to address illicit trade. Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya said the illicit trade market has had negative impacts on the metro's communities and economy. Moya insists that through partnerships with fellow government stakeholders, the illicit trade market in Tshwane can be stamped out. 'We welcome SARS as a partner to the administration's commitment to deal with illegal businesses. Hundreds of operations have been conducted in the past nine months by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD), in collaboration with SAPS, the Department of Home Affairs and the Gauteng Community Safety Department,' she said. Since the start of the year, the metro has undertaken weekly by-law operations to address rampant lawlessness in and around the CBD and other parts of the metro under the operation dubbed 'Reclaim Our City'. The Mayoral Committee and the city's senior management met with SARS, led by Patrick Moeng, Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Illicit Trade (IAWG-IT), on May 27. The meeting was to discuss programmes which would address illicit trade. The mayor said the initiative has already seen successes, and with SARS on board, it will intensify. The programmes have led to the closure of businesses and the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants. Last week, the city uncovered an illegal paraffin distribution centre in Mamelodi that posed a danger to the lives of residents. 'This SARS collaboration will have a direct impact on the city's governance processes, help mitigate corruption, fraud and illegal practices, and improve Tshwane's economy and the lives of our most vulnerable residents,' Moya said. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
