January 27, 2004
By Thomas Thale
THE Metropolitan Centre in Braamfontein will come to a standstill on Thursday, as dignitaries, including city officials, businessmen, politicians and diplomats, gather alongside ordinary people to listen to the mayor deliver his annual State of the City address.
Accompanied by pomp and ceremony, the occasion has traditionally been used by the mayor to outline progress the City has made and to spell out challenges that lie ahead.
This election year, Mayor Amos Masondo is expected to focus attention on the milestones made in Johannesburg over the past 10 years of democracy. In this regard, the mayor will most probably draw attention to the progress made by the City in tackling the huge infrastructural backlogs.
Among capital projects which are likely to be highlighted by the mayor are: Constitution Hill, which is nearing completion; Faraday Market, which has been completed but is yet to be officially opened; the opening of several clinics around the city; the Soweto roads upgrade programme; the redevelopment of local parks; and the much punted Operation Gcinamanzi, aimed at upgrading the water infrastructure in Soweto.
In the past, the mayor has also used the occasion to report back on the progress made with regard to the six mayoral priorities: good governance, economic development and job creation, inner city regeneration, public safety, service delivery excellence and HIV/Aids.
Given the recent public outcry over the problems experienced in the revenue department, the mayor's speech will probably include reference to short-term and long-term interventions to address the problem. In the immediate term, the City has already announced an investigation into all account queries and plans are afoot to beef up staff in the Revenue Department. The mayor could emphasise though that the long-term solution lies with the establishment of the Revenue Shared Services Centre, which should be fully operational by 2006.
At the end of last year, Council adopted a resolution to investigate the feasibility of venturing into the bond market. The mayor will probably use the opportunity to highlight progress made in this regard.
The mayor is also expected to announce a date on which to honour former president Nelson Mandela with the Freedom of the City.
If previous speeches are anything to go by, the mayor is likely to paint an optimistic picture of the city, but will also sound a note of caution, highlighting the enormous challenges that remain to be tackled.
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