Durban — eThekwini Municipality mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has called for the civil rights movement, Umsinsi Wokuzimilela, to follow official route by requesting a meeting.
The call comes after it was alleged that Umsinsi Wokuzimilela will storm Kaunda’s home.
The civil rights group recently stormed the presidential house known as King’s House and former eThekwini deputy mayor Philani Mavundla’s House.
A few weeks ago the group went to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s home.
Kaunda said it had come to his attention that the group was planning to visit his home.
His spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said: “We would like to caution the movement that the mayor executes his official duties at the City Hall.
“Therefore, if members of the public want to engage with him, they must come to the City Hall and not his private residence.”
Mntungwa said Kaunda had an open-door policy and met various public and private representatives on a regular basis at City Hall.
“We wish to reiterate that the mayor continues to be hard at work to improve the lives of the people of eThekwini,” he said.
Mtungwa added that the recent assessment by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) indicated that the municipality was functional and financially viable.
He said the auditor-general awarded the municipality an unqualified audit report for five consecutive years.
Cogta also commended eThekwini Municipality for improving waste management in the City.
Mntungwa also said this could be attributed to the reforms the City recently introduced in the Cleansing and Solid Waste Unit.
“Despite the current economic climate, we have been able to maintain an AA+ investment grade credit rating with 51 days cash on hand,” Mntungwa said.
He said through Kaunda’s leadership, the municipality continued to pay timeously for bulk services rendered by Eskom and uMgeni Water.
“While we acknowledge that we still have challenges caused by an ageing infrastructure and the April 2022 devastating floods, there is visible progress on the ground as water and electricity provision has improved significantly,” Mntungwa said.
“Now that the National Treasury has transferred the R1.5 billion to repair road and water and sanitation infrastructure, the repairs are going to be accelerated.”
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News