Newly elected mayor of Mangaung metro in Free State, Mxolisi Siyonzana, says he and his team will work around the clock to accelerate service delivery and fight corruption.
Speaking on Monday following his election, Siyonzana said he would prioritise service delivery which has been a major problem in the municipality for months.
The metro had been without a mayor since August last year, following the ousting of Olly Mlamleli in a motion of no confidence.
“We are particularly concerned about residents who do not pay for the services and one of my mission is to make sure that residents go back to the culture of paying for services rendered by the municipality. As much as we understand that people have lost jobs as a result of Covid-19, we want to encourage them to start paying for services,” Siyonzana said.
He previously served as chief whip and deputy mayor of the City. He was the speaker of the council before the ANC's interim provincial committee chose him as its preferred mayoral candidate a few weeks ago.
There were 88 councillors present, 87 cast ballots with Siyonzana getting 57 votes.
The cash-strapped metro has been experiencing various service delivery challenges for a long time with refuse collection and water shortage topping the concerns.
A few months ago, residents took to the street of Bloemfontein, complaining about lack of service delivery.
Lobby group Mangaung Concerned group shut down the city for three days and vowed to continue with protests if the municipality failed to address their grievances. Opposition parties had mixed reactions to Siyonzana's election.
DA councillor Mokgadi Kganakga described the appointment as a “recycle of leaders who fail to address the issues of the community”.
EFF's Ranchobe Tsholo said they are not particularly happy with the appointment of Siyonzana.
“He has been around in the council and there is nothing to write home about. With little time before the local government elections, we will be watching his work closely” he said.
Mapaseka Mothibi-Nkoane has been elected as the new speaker.
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