​The City of Johannesburg will sign a memorandum of understanding with Eskom to take over the electricity supply for Soweto, Diepsloot, Ivory Park, Orange Farm, Finetown and Sandton.

“All the areas in City of Joburg will be supplied by City Power and the Eskom board has approved that we take over from them,” said the new Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Mpho Moerane, soon after being elected unopposed last week.

The City of Joburg convened a Council meeting on 01 October to elect Cllr Moerane to lead the City 30 days before elections and replaces the late mayor Jolidee Matongo. He was previously the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Infrastructure, Environmental and Services from December 2019.

Mayor Moerane was elected an unopposed by his ANC party and other opposition parties who make up the Government of Local Unity that runs the City of Johannesburg. Some parties urged him to put the City before his party.

“As a municipality, we must be people-centred. Programmes should be people-centred and must be responsive to the needs of the people,” said EFF Cllr Musa Novela.

In his acceptance speech, Cllr Moerane said this was a bitter-sweet moment as he stood exactly where six weeks ago the late mayor Matongo was making his mayoral acceptance speech as well.  “It is too soon. It happened too soon. I have mixed emotions but the job has to continue. We have to keep on serving the people of Johannesburg to the best of our ability.

“I did make a promise that we will pick up his fallen spear and continue serving the people of Johannesburg. I will do this in his honour. I want to finish what the late mayor Geoff Makhubo had started – Accelerated Service Delivery,” he said.

Cllr Tania Oldjohn has replaced Cllr Moerane as the MMC for Infrastructure, Environmental and Services.

Speaker of Council in the City of Johannesburg, Cllr Nonceba Molwele, urged the Mayor Moerane and his Mayoral Committee Members to hit the ground running.

“Mayor, confidence has been bestowed on your and your incoming cabinet to continue the work of building this city. We have confidence in you in taking the city forward in the service delivery to reach the objectives of the GDS 2040 strategy.

“The city must enhance the quality of life for all the residents, especially the youth, women, people with disabilities and the poor. We have great confidence in your leadership and in the ability to accelerate service delivery,” said Cllr Molwele.

Written by Thembelihle Radebe
04/10/2021