By Dr Nasiphi Moya
Tshwane Executive Mayor
This morning, the Mayoral Committee unveiled 555 pieces of horticultural equipment that will be used by our workforce to address service delivery backlogs, such as a grass-cutting, that have long plagued our 7 Regions.
This includes:
• Brush-Cutters: 235
• Backpack Sprayers: 75
• Backpack Blower: 75
• Chainsaws: 90
• Pole Pruners: 55
• Garden Tractors: 25
The equipment, valued at R11 million, was purchased through the reprioritisation of funds by our Regional Operations and Coordination Department.
In the next three months, with the delivery of the new equipment, our regions will work in accordance with an urban management plan to address grass-cutting in public spaces including parks and cemeteries.
The aim is to ensure that grass cutting takes place ahead of the summer season.
We want a beautiful City, populated with decent landscapes and adequate liveable
spaces.
Our workers have, for years, decried their inability to perform because they do not have the tools of trade.
The supply of this equipment comes as the City has adopted a revised Urban Management Plan that will align service delivery initiatives across all departments in the City.
The plan is designed to ensure that our departments work together in each of our 7 Regions to target key service delivery gaps: Roads (potholes), Public Lighting, Urban & Infrastructure Maintenance and Urban Waste Management.
Each department will have a target of actions to be assessed and delivered on
weekly in accordance with the IUMP action list.
In May, we unveiled 30 fleet vehicles that have since been distributed across our 7 Regions to improve TMPD response times.
Just last month, the Mayoral Executive
also handed over the first 14 cherrypickers, in a batch of 100, to support our intensified efforts for city maintenance.
We have also prioritised the purchase of personal protective equipment to protect
our workforce and ensure we mitigate injury in the discharge of their work.