Making back-to-basics my business
19 August 2021
Statement by the City's New Mayoral Committee Member for Transport, Councillor Rob Quintas
Cities are breathing organisms. They host residents who are in search of opportunities to improve their lives in an ever-changing world where nothing is predictable.
Transport is the cardiovascular system of any city. Its roads connect us and enable business activity and job creation. Its transport services keep us moving. All cities need a healthy transport system to ensure the prosperity of its people. The more connected the city, the bigger the chances that its population will flourish.
I’m here for only a few months, until the local government elections. And in this time, I will be focusing all my energy and passion on improving the basics within the City’s Transport Directorate.
Our residents have high expectations of service delivery in Cape Town, and rightly so. My purpose is to make sure we meet and exceed these expectations.
With back-to-basics, I mean ensuring that road maintenance happens as speedily as possible, that potholes get repaired and stormwater infrastructure and retention ponds are attended to where there are problems. These issues have a direct impact on our communities, regardless of where they live, and especially now in the rainy season.
One of my key priorities in the coming months, is getting the N2 Express service operating again. Thousands of commuters from Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain relied on this service to travel to the CBD and back. I have been briefed on the latest developments and I can assure commuters this matter will be resolved. Watch this space.
Cape Town is not an island. We are affected by Covid-19 as much as any other city in South Africa and the world. The pandemic impacts our service delivery: employees get sick, some need to isolate, and there are contractual issues and delays that are beyond our control. This pandemic requires more resilience from the City, its employees, and its residents. It is testing our resolve.
We have put systems in place to mitigate delays and the pandemic’s impact and we are adapting to new challenges as fast as we can. Still, I want to assure residents that I will hold officials accountable while I am here. We are working on improving the capacity at our road depots across the city and residents will experience the difference soon.
There are many ongoing road maintenance projects, capital projects, and initiatives to improve transport services. I will be conducting site visits and report back to Capetonians in the coming weeks.
I have been the ward councillor for Hout Bay and a City Councillor for more than five years now. Hout Bay is a multi-faceted community and hosts residents with contrasting living conditions, needs and challenges, and aspirations. It is a microcosm of Cape Town. During this time, I have been working with residents from a wide range of backgrounds.
In the end, we all want the same things: a safe and secure life where we and our children have access to opportunities and the freedom to enjoy living. Transport is the artery that enables access to opportunities and I will make this my business until the end of my term.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
