Municipal, People

Meet KwaDukuza Municipality’s “Iron Lady”- Mayor Dolly Govender

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

In order to connect and familiarise Newcastillians with various Municipal heads from around KwaZulu-Natal, the Newcastillian – Online News interviews the people you should know within your local government entity, thereby empowering you with the knowledge of who is running your local municipality. In this article, KwaDukuza Municipality’s Iron Lady, Mayor Dolly Govender, takes the spotlight.

Rated as one of the best performing municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal by Ratings Afrika, KwaDukuza Municipality clearly holds a secret weapon.

With accountability and result being the measurement tool residents use to gauge the success of their respective municipality—determined leaders become pivitol in our respective communities and towns. And when speaking with the Iron lady herself, Cllr Govender, one clearly notes, she is one such person.

Initially a ward committee member for 12 years, Cllr Govender decided to get more involved in the KwaDukuza Municipality, becoming a part of the municipality’s Council. “I was elected by the ANC membership to serve as a part of the Council, firstly as a Proportional Representative Councillor and later as a Ward Councillor. These two roles got me more involved in the working of Council which includes oversight and formulating initiatives to better the lives of the people.”

Steadfast in her mission to improve the lives of others, Cllr Govender worked her way up the political ladder and was elected for the post of Deputy Mayor in 2011, being re-elected for a second term in August 2016. And when asked how this was achieved, Govender states, she attributes the re-election to her continued involvement in various initiatives that appealed well to the ANC membership. In addition, she says, “Personally, I applied myself to the maximum and worked hard to ensure that we meet the manifesto of the ANC and I am happy that over the years the average performance of the municipality is in the 50-60% range.”

Then on 8 October 2020, she was elected as KwaDukuza Municipality’s Mayor being the government entity’s first female mayor—pointing out that she was initially overwhelmed when elected. “Because when you look at the pool and talent in the ANC Caucus, I felt that there were those more senior than me in the Council. Overall, I am very happy with the role and feel that I am contributing immensely to it.”

Along with holding an array of hopes and plans for the future, she strives to see the municipality achieve a Clean Audit Outcome, for every streetlight to be fixed, for the institution to be debt-free, and for investors to plough their monies towards industrialising the town, coupled with boosting tourism.

Looking at her nickname, Govender explains how she became fondly known as the Iron Lady. “The people attributed it to my hard stance on issues and the fact that I am always available to serve.” Furthermore, through her willingness to always be available to the community, she feels she has matured in many leadership characteristics.

Diving into future achievements on the mayor’s cards, Cllr Govender states, coupled with the above, ensuring the completion of Ballito Junction Mall, Ballito Hills, KwaDukuza Mall, Ballito Drive and the Extension of Zimbali Development is a must. However, her municipality has several issues that Govender would like to resolve, such as fixing all maintenance issues relating to electricity, roads, and stormwater.

As she strives to bring about positive change in the KwaDukuza Municipality, one cannot deny, she took her role as mayor during a trying time in South Africa. Coming in as a mayor amidst a global pandemic can be no easy task. Yet, Govender points out that this experience has taught her valuable lessons. “It has taught me a lot, to be honest, it has opened my eyes to many issues that affect the municipality and also brought me closer to the people.”

During the month of April, KwaDukuza Municipality worked closely with the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs – Business Regulations Unit, coordinating a multi law enforcement agencies operation/blitz under the auspices of quarterly KDM EDP – Development Enforcement Bylaws Enforcement Blitz Programme. Govender claims it is essential for municipalities to conduct such operations, as it allows for thorough cleansing of CBDs, thereby ensuring peace and stability as enshrined in the constitution.

Concluding, Mayor Govender extends a message to the KwaDukuza community and neighbouring towns. She says, “Together we can achieve more, let us take better care of our communities to preserve it for future generations. Let us remember to stay safe and to abide by all Disaster Management Act Regulations, as well as Dos and Don’ts during the various Lockdown Alert Levels.”

What are your thoughts on the Iron lady and her mission to bring about positive change? Be sure to look out for our next municipal personality; you need to know.

Share your views in the comment section below.

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