The City of Tshwane is set to embark on a comprehensive review of its service delivery Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to ensure they align with the metro's interests and provide equitable services to all residents, said Mayor Nasiphi Moya.
The decision to review MoUs was made after EFF’s newly-appointed MMC for Environmental and Agriculture Management, Obakeng Ramabodu, called for the City’s five-year contract with Afriforum to be scrapped.
The civic organisation signed the deal with the municipality in May to maintain public spaces in their immediate neighbourhood for free.
The contract was part of an initiative called community upliftment precinct launched in 2023 to encourage residents, businesses and communities to partner with the City in maintaining and improving public infrastructure.
Moya said: “The decision to review the 68 existing MoUs, including the agreement with AfriForum that was recently the subject of public scrutiny, was made by the new administration to confirm that these partnerships genuinely address the needs of Tshwane residents.”
In addition to reassessing current MoUs, she said, her administration will also explore opportunities to engage with potential new partners who can contribute to enhancing service delivery across the City.
“While the City welcomes third-party involvement in service delivery, it is essential that these agreements adhere to core principles that safeguard the City’s interests,”she said.
Among the principles safeguarding the City’s interests are equitable service delivery, service providers must remain politically neutral and demonstrate impartiality.
Moya said: “In the coming weeks, we will engage with current service providers, including AfriForum, to interrogate the existing MoUs. This process will be conducted in the spirit of cooperation and good faith, without a predetermined outcome. Our objective is to engage constructively to ensure that MoUs are mutually beneficial for service providers and Tshwane residents.”
She added that third-party involvement in service delivery is crucial to the City’s success given the financial constraints that face the municipality.
“We deeply value the willingness of third parties to assist the City. The prosperity of our capital city depends on constructive partnerships with the private sector and community organisations,”she said.
Recently EFF chief whip in council, Godwin Ratikwane, accused Afriforum of being a racist organisation that only cut grass in their communities.
“It is not like they are going to be cutting grass to all communities across the board; they are specifically servicing their own people to the exclusion of the rest,” he said.
AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel has reportedly countered this view, saying the organisation doesn’t need the EFF permission to improve conditions of its communities.
Pretoria News
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