Jozi mayor apologises for no-show

JOBURG mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has apologised to the people of Soweto for last week’s failed meeting.

On Saturday, Phalatse was supposed to have met residents of the sprawling township, together with the leaders of Operation Dudula and Soweto Parliament, at the Jabulani Amphitheatre.

However, Phalatse reportedly called in sick a day before the proposed meeting, which angered some leaders who promised to disturb this week’s council sitting.

The meeting was supposed to have provided feedback to Soweto residents after the recent shutdown, which saw residents march to the mayor’s offices in Braamfontein in June.

Among the issues tabled by residents were Eskom and high electricity bills as well as other service delivery problems.

Speaking on the sidelines of a City of Joburg Women’s Day event, Phalatse apologised to the leaders of Soweto.

“To the people of Soweto, I did send a love letter to say I am really sorry, I am not feeling well. I want our engagement to be meaningful. I did not want to come coughing and making you sick.

“I will set an alternative date for our meeting. I have reached out to your leadership. Unfortunately, they were unavailable for the meeting. A lot has happened, and I realised that you are not always aware of developments that have been happening until now,” Phalatse said.

On matters such as Eskom and other service delivery backlogs, she said she had been in talks with some of the ministers and leaders concerned.

“I have written to various ministers. These include the minister of public enterprises, minister of minerals and energy, minister of finance and the Eskom CEO. I have had bilateral talks with Eskom, and there have been several engagements,” she said.

The mayor added that some headway had been made with regard to Eskom.

“There has been so much that has happened to invest in this (Eskom) cause. Please stay committed, we would like to see you switched on, and Eskom is also forthcoming.

“I will be attending a meeting that will be hosted by Public Enterprises.

“The MEC for Cogta (Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs) will also be there, looking at Eskom and how municipalities in Gauteng deal with challenges that we are facing.

“Hopefully, we will be able to find a new date soon,” she said.