After much thought and consultation, I am confident the team announced today will deliver on the vision we put forward to the voters of Cape Town, and which I set out in my inauguration speech last week

 

It is my pleasure today to announce the new Mayoral Committee for the City of Cape Town.

 

After much thought and consultation, I am confident the team announced today will deliver on the vision we put forward to the voters of Cape Town, and which I set out in my inauguration speech last week.

This team has been chosen for their combination of experience, skills, fresh energy and thinking, and their commitment to making the City of Cape Town a city we can all be proud of.

They know that they have my full support, and I am excited for the future of Cape Town and all that we are going to achieve together.

Higher Purpose:

 

This government exists with a clear sense of higher purpose to restore hope in South Africa by turning Cape Town into living proof that we can roll back poverty, that we can overcome the long shadows of our past, and that our country can still realise the society dreamed of in the founding document of our democracy, the Constitution.

 

We are not here to govern for its own sake, but to build a city that every Capetonian and South African is proud of. A city that shows the best of what South Africa can do when we work together.

 

This team, along with the City’s senior management, will have primary responsibility for delivering on that vision and that purpose, to ensure that every resident enjoys a more caring, more inclusive, more prosperous, more united, more respectful, more safe and more free city.

 

We want every resident to know, feel and see the “DA difference” in their communities, no matter where they live or who they vote for.

 

Our work in government will always be measured against the yardstick of creating the conditions for meaningfully faster economic growth in Cape Town, so that more people can be lifted out of poverty and into work.

 

We also have a strong mandate from voters to redefine the boundaries of what competent, well-run local governments can do to protect residents from failing national services – by ending load-shedding in Cape Town over time, by making communities feel safer, and by fighting for a greater say over passenger rail in Cape Town.

 

A Privilege to Serve:

 

As with the Mayoralty, selection as a Mayoral Committee member is a distinct privilege. It comes with great power to improve people’s lives in meaningful ways. It is a job that should be undertaken with reverence and with absolute dedication.

 

As Mayor I am committed to a system of rigorous performance assessment of each member of this team according to three criteria:

 

1) Delivery of service outcomes and commitment to excellence

2) Commitment to our government’s higher purpose

3) Commitment to upholding our values in their own teams and in our broader team

 

 

Future Planning Team:

 

I have spoken often of the need for fresh, more ambitious thinking about Cape Town’s future. This city is young, innovative and hosts a booming tech industry. It is important that our city government also invests time thinking about the opportunities and problems of the future. We must be bold in moving to the cutting edge of thinking in urban design, open data, and urban policy innovation. We must always look to crowd in innovation, rather than stifle it, and be prepared to try new, fresh solutions.

 

I am excited to announce that I will take to Council a proposal for the formation of a Future Planning team that will report to the Mayor. This new team will bring together strategic planning, policy formulation, and research, and will foster a culture of policy innovation that will help Cape Town reach its potential as one of the most innovative and exciting cities globally.

 

The Team:

 

The Mayoral Committee team is announced based on the current structure of directorates. We will take proposals for changes to this structure to Council soon, and these portfolios will then change accordingly.

 

The City’s new Mayoral Committee Members are as follows:

 

A new entrant, Deputy Mayor Eddie Andrews will assume responsibility for the Spatial Planning and Environment portfolio. With experience as a successful ward councillor in Mitchells Plain, as sub-council chairman and portfolio committee chairman, he has insight into the planning challenges and opportunities in the City. He also now has a clear mandate to resolve the planning bottlenecks that persist in the city’s planning process.

 

An entrepreneur and a person of enormous competence and leadership, Theresa Uys is appointed as a new Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services.

 

A medical doctor whose quiet diligence and commitment to detail earned him praise in his previous portfolio, Dr Zahid Badroodien is well suited to lead our service improvement efforts in water and sanitation. He is appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste.

 

With a clear mandate to break the cycle of poverty by delivering title deeds, and to deliver a pipeline of public land for more affordable housing for Capetonians, Malusi Booi is appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements.

 

With enormous energy and a track record of effective leadership wherever she has served, and another new entrant, Patricia van der Ross is appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health.

 

With unparalleled experience and deep commitment to safer communities, JP Smith is appointed as the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security.

 

A recent entrant to the Mayoral Committee just 11 weeks ago, with a clear mandate to restore the N2 Express and Mitchells Plain link on the MyCiti bus system, and to deliver a multi-billion rand MyCiti expansion, Roberto Quintas is appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Mobility covering the Roads and Transport directorate.

 

With depth of experience in urban place making and precinct management, and with a can-do attitude to any service delivery challenge, Grant Twigg is appointed Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Management.

 

With prodigious work ethic and energy, and a clear commitment to make Cape Town both the easiest place to do business and the premier investment destination on the African continent, James Vos is appointed as the Mayoral Committee member for Economic Growth.

 

Another new entrant, with experience as previous chairperson of the portfolio committee on finance, Siseko Mbandezi is appointed Mayoral Committee Member for Finance.

 

Another new entrant, with the exciting task of working to end load-shedding in Cape Town over time, with a track record of successful organisation and drive, Beverley van Reenen is appointed as Mayoral Committee Member for Energy.

 

Finally, with a mandate to uphold the highest standards and values, and to ensure the smooth functioning of Council and Caucus, my nominee for Chief Whip is Desiree Visagie.

Good governance and conclusion:

 

I made it clear in my inauguration speech that good governance is and will remain non-negotiable in Cape Town precisely because we are committed to serving the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society.

 

It is the poor who benefit most from honest and clean administration – and it is the vulnerable who suffer the worst consequences of corruption.

 

This is why every member appointed to my mayoral committee today will undergo a lifestyle audit.

 

This administration is committed to running an open, accessible and transparent government that regularly engages with residents, including in new and innovative ways through online platforms. And I expect every member of the Mayoral committee to exemplify this.

 

I congratulate every member of this team.

 

Now begins the hard work of delivering on our higher purpose to the residents of Cape Town by building a city of excellence, ambition, hope and pride. Let’s get to it!

 

Captions:

 

Back row (standing) from left-right: James Vos: Economic Growth; Dr Zahid Badroodien: Water and Waste; Patricia van der Ross: Community Services and Health; Grant Twigg: Urban Management; Roberto Quintas: Urban Mobility (Roads and Transport); Siseko Mbandezi: Finance; Malusi Booi: Human Settlements; JP Smith; Safety and Security.

Front row (seated) from left-right: Desiree Visagie: Chief Whip; Felicity Purchase: Speaker; Geordin Hill-Lewis: Mayor; Eddie Andrews: Deputy Mayor; Theresa Uys: Corporate Services; Beverley van Reenen: Energy.

 

Source: City Of Cape Town