Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
According to Newcastle Municipality Speaker, Cllr Thengi Zulu, during an interview with Newcastillian News, the issues passed on from the previous administration are progressively being remedied and this is primarily thanks to the workability of the coalition.
Since taking over the Municipality in November 2022, the Speaker pointed out that the coalition is getting along better than expected. To which he declared, there was a good reason.
“The coalition is working extremely well together, and everyone makes a contribution to the town. Adding to this, we meet once a week, where all the political parties discuss any issues they might have with certain decisions or each other, then we work the problem out,” he said, highlighting that this was to ensure the smooth running of the town.
Discussing the achievements and progress made thus far, Cllr Zulu said, one of the most noteworthy achievements is the Municipality’s financial standing.
“We originally had an unfunded budget of R127 million, but we have worked it down to around R80 million.” This he explained was a result of the Newcastle Municipality cutting out all fruitless expenditure.
The Speaker further explained that this was due to the coalition holding professional business persons within its ranks. This, he said, provided the necessary guidance to ensure the municipality did not continue running at a loss.
He added that the municipality was cutting down on all Acting posts. “We have now employed the necessary SED (Strategic Executive Director) for Technical Services, Corporate Services, and the Department of Human Settlements. We have also made the Municipal Manager’s position official.”
“By employing permanent staff to these posts, there is more stability within the municipality. Also, some of these people were acting for three to four years already and we needed this to stop.” Additionally, as per the Speaker, the Newcastle Municipality’s leadership was constantly ensuring that if there was a whiff of maladministration or fraud, the matter would be looked into and addressed swiftly.
“One of the benefits of the coalition is that the political parties all have the same aim, and their principles align with each other, in that the Newcastle community be put first,” declared Cllr Zulu.
Looking at the Municipality’s past and former administrations, Cllr Zulu explained that mistakes were made over the years and while the current leadership was not perfect, much-needed change was already underway, albeit not necessarily at the speed people might expect.
“While the mistakes of the past were uncalled for, we cannot continue dwelling on the past, rather we must go forward. We are now working on resolving all the issues within the town, including potholes, sewage, and refuse.”
Whereby, he assured, the said issues would be addressed over the coming months and into 2023.
Moreover, Cllr Zulu highlighted that the municipality now holds the necessary workforce to handle challenges quicker and more effectively. This follows the reinstatement of numerous municipal employees .
“With the return of the employees, we can now look at improving service delivery and address issues within Newcastle, resolving them faster. Initially, we could not employ more people because of the court case, but now that the employees have all returned to work, we can address the mistakes of the past and resolve the problems in Newcastle,” stated the Speaker.
Promoting a new hope within Newcastle, Cllr Zulu shared a final heartfelt message with Newcastle on behalf of the coalition-led municipality.
“We are asking the people of Newcastle to put their trust in us, the coalition. Only God does not make mistakes. While we might make some, the coalition has the community at its heart and will rally together to do better and be better. We will be working on Newcastle, and we will do our best to keep the community’s trust. After all, the people of Newcastle gave us, the coalition, a chance and we will make a point of keeping their trust.”
With the above in mind, share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
5 Responses
Unfortunately I don’t concur with these statements You can interview I show why I disagree with these statements. This purely propaganda and far from the truth. Enlighten individuals are not gullible. NRF which has a huge following does not get coverage because it does not suit your agenda
Good day Matthew. Let me correct you, as it seems you did not read the article at all and found it perfectly suitable to AGAIN publicly attack and falsely accuse Newcastillian News and its very trustworthy journalists, without any just cause. This is also the very same media agency and journalist that you yourself have called on in the past…….and now you expect us to interview you because you don’t agree WITH OUR PRESS STATEMENT. First of all, let me enlighten you. There is a difference between a press statement and an article. Secondly, the information is from the municipality. NOT FROM US. Newcastillian News does not make up its articles, nor do we suck information from our thumbs. If you have a problem with the municipality, which you and Neil evidently do, then take it up with them. Your agenda is not ours, and we will not be entangled in your sensational squabbling.
Journalists are messengers. So before you attack a journalist again, from any media company, get your facts straight and understand the basics of media before you think you are entitled to blurt out accusations. Legally, this is not a smart move on your part.
You also accuse us of not covering the NRF because it does not suit our agenda……. This is a very bold accusation…… Do you have proof of this or is this again another keyboard warrior moment of yours? What I can however tell you is that you, and you alone, are the reason the NRF doesn’t get coverage from us. Had you treated Newcastillian News and its journalists with more respect and courtesy, I can assure you it would have worked out differently. Just in case you are not aware, journalists are also human. We live in a close community. This is not how you treat people. Irrespective of your current emotional state.
Furthermore, as a former Exco councillor, I would have hoped you are aware of the term media enquiries, and the purpose behind same.
Our unbiased reporting is renowned, even among the corrupt. Therefore, should you ever have the need to question one of our very trustworthy journalists or the company itself, I would suggest that you act accordingly and contact us directly to do so, with valid justification. Would this not be more professional, especially as a former councillor and as the current Chairperson for the Newcastle Residents Form? Leave media to the media industry. You are not a journalist nor a political party and I would suggest you remember same.
This speaker and his coalition partners are living in a dream world. 11months and zero service delivery issues resolved in the CBD. Name 5 issues that have been resolved to benefit the residents.
Very encouraging. We, however still also await the reversal of the #IllegalRdpEvictions at Siyahlala-la in newcastle . The 100 home owners are hopeful this can be done before the end of 2022 since it has already been 2 full years
Kindly have an interview with me as I do not concur with the content of your press release.