City bids farewell to dedicated Speaker
29 April 2021
Council speech by Alderman Ian Neilson, Executive Deputy Mayor
Speaker, I wish to welcome all the Aldermen and Councillors to this meeting here today. We have been meeting in this online format for a year. It has been both a challenge and adaptation, but also I believe it has brought greater discipline to our meetings.
I give the apologies of the Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, who, together with a few of our Councillors, are attending the funeral of the late Alderman Monty Oliver this morning.
Speaker, I would like to start off by acknowledging that today will be your last day presiding over this Council as the Speaker of the City of Cape Town.
Please allow me to express, on behalf of the Mayor and my fellow councillors, our sincerest thanks for your 15 years of dedicated service to this Council and the people of Cape Town. I well remember the dramatic time in 2006 when you were first elected, and the signal that it gave of a sea change in the future of this City.
During your time in the chair, you have conducted our Council meetings with professionalism, gravitas, and flashes of humour that certainly livened up the proceedings. Presiding over a large multi-party Council is no easy task, but yours has been a steady hand over the years, and you have managed to keep this ship on course, carefully steering us through seas both rough and smooth.
Let us not also forget your role outside of the chamber. You have conducted that role with dignity and fairness, even in times of turmoil, and have been a steady rock of stability to the City.
I will not wish you farewell just yet, but wanted to state our appreciation for your years of service upfront.
Cape Town fire
Speaker, during the past week, we have seen a large section of the Table Mountain National Park ablaze. The fire, which raged for a number of days, enveloped a large section of UCT’s library, destroying many literary treasures. Mostert Mill and the Rhodes Memorial restaurant, two of our oldest heritage sites, were also destroyed.
Thankfully, there was no loss of life. I applaud our brave firefighters and the many volunteers, including all the emergency personnel involved and all the residents who stepped forward with donations for our firefighters. It once again showed that Capetonians are committed to the city and will go out of their way to serve it. We last saw it during the recent drought, when all worked together to get us through that crisis. It is a wonderful thing to see how our city pulls together in times of need.
Our Disaster Risk Management Centre has already coordinated joint assessments to identify where repairs are needed to damaged roads and other infrastructure, and the Solid Waste Management Department was mobilised to clear the fire debris.
The City’s Air Quality Monitoring Unit monitored air quality at the Foreshore Monitoring Station so that we could advise residents of any adverse findings of particulate matter, which could affect those suffering from asthma and other respiratory conditions.
An assessment by the City’s Electricity Generation and Distribution Department found that there was no major damage to electricity infrastructure, but that overhead lines to some of the affected buildings were damaged.
We can all be proud of the quick response to this disaster from multiple stakeholders and departments within the City.
Covid-19 humanitarian relief continues
Speaker, as in the rest of the world, we are still dealing with the ramifications of the global coronavirus pandemic, which is still very much with us more than a year since it first started.
The City is continuing to provide humanitarian food relief to vulnerable communities most adversely affected by the pandemic.
Since April last year, a total of R39 million has been provided towards critical food aid relief. These donations are intended to assist organisations feeding residents in need, many of whom have lost jobs and are struggling to put food on the table.
To date, approximately R14 million from the Mayor’s Relief Fund has been spent on equipping soup kitchens, and providing other food relief where soup kitchens were not established.
The grant-in-aid of R10 million that was approved by Council in January is being rolled out to 14 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), public benefit organisations (PBOs) and non-profit organisations (NPOs) that are preparing and distributing cooked meals directly to vulnerable communities.
Most recently, R15 million was approved by Council in March as part of the Budget Adjustment process. Applications from registered NGOs, PBOs or NPOs are currently being assessed.
So much has changed over the past year, from the way in which we work, to how we spend time with families and friends. In the City, we have worked hard to continue delivering services, to find innovative ways of engaging with our residents, to build resilience and ensure that we adapt quickly to change so that we can keep moving forward.
Boosting local economy
As the best governed metro in South Africa, we are constantly looking at ways to ensure that progress stays possible in this city; from dealing with service delivery backlogs created during the national lockdown, to finding ways to revitalise our economy in order to encourage job creation.
The large number of property transactions on today’s Council agenda shows how the City is supporting Cape Town’s economy by releasing land into the economy for people to improve their living circumstances. Residential, social and commercial transactions are literally paving the way to our economic recovery.
I am also very pleased to note the large number of property development applications that the City has processed over the past few years, and that development continues, despite the negative economic impacts of the disaster regulations.
Two of the biggest developments that are moving ahead in the City will see more than 18 000 jobs being created during the construction phase, with another 24 000 direct and indirect job opportunities created after construction has completed. This is progress and it is what our city needs to keep moving forward.
With increased growth, there is an increased demand for services and I am pleased to see on today’s agenda a number of applications to extend the terms of City Improvement Districts (CIDs) across the City, including those in Paarden Eiland, Triangle Industrial City, Oranjekloof, Greenpoint and Sea Point, Rosebank and Little Mowbray, Blackheath and Tygervalley.
This is an indication that property owners see the value of continuing to support special rating areas, and their willingness to invest in their communities.
Cape Town is the only metro to remain financially stable
The Ratings Africa report released this past month indicates that Cape Town is the only metro in South Africa that remains financially stable and able to meet its obligations. That means it can continue to deliver services, pay its staff, pay Eskom, carry out extensive repairs and maintenance and have a substantial capital investment program. That is the stability on which the future is built, and that is the future here, in Cape Town.
The City is currently in the process of updating its draft Integrated District Spatial Development Frameworks and Environmental Management Frameworks for the eight planning districts across Cape Town.
The draft frameworks set out the planning and spatial vision for these districts, and the City’s proposals for balancing ecological conservation and urban development in a manner that is sustainable, resilient, and equitable.
These frameworks will be finalised following the current round of public participation, and I would like to encourage all residents to attend the various open days being held across the metro, or participate in one of the online engagements that will be held, where they will have the opportunity to put their questions to City officials. Residents have until the 6 June 2021 to submit their comments.
Draft Budget 2021/22
Public comment on the draft budget can also be submitted until 3 May. Over 100 public meetings were held over the past weeks at Subcouncil offices and other forums, with strict adherence to Covid-19 safety precautions.
The City has had to adjust the way it engages with residents in order to reduce risk and prevent the spread of Covid-19. In addition to these public meetings, we have also communicated on the draft budget via social media, telephone, WhatsApp, through mailers, media releases and the City’s website.
All formally submitted public comments will be considered and responded to when the budget is tabled for adoption by Council next month. I would like to urge all councillors here to ensure that residents in their communities are aware of the process, and assist them to participate and comment.
Speaker, on this note I would like to conclude, and in closing, wish you all the very best as you take your leave of the City.
You will be missed, and you leave a large pair of shoes to be filled.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
