Executive Mayor’s cordial engagement with Business Chamber – NMBM

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor Gary
van Niekerk met with the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber following
exhausting walkabouts in wards 31 and 37 to identify and address service
delivery concerns of the residents, today.

The bilateral with business was to re-assure this
crucial stakeholder grouping that despite the change at the helm of City Hall,
the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality remains focused on working hand-in-glove
with business to build a prosperous Nelson Mandela Bay.

“I am here to engage with you and to listen to your
concerns as the devastating impact of loadshedding is evident in our city.
Residents are working short time and must put in overtime, if possible, to
equal their pay before the electricity crisis.

“We need to work with you to ensure that we provide
solutions in order for residents to work without too many disruptions due to
electricity shortages.

“I spent the majority of the last two days out of City
Hall to address community concerns in Motherwell, Missionvale, Bloemendal and
resolved the non-payment of Libhongulethu Bus Service staff, for the last two
months, as my commitment is to lead a pro-poor administration.

“This also includes contributing to a conducive
environment for workers to earn their wages without disruptions. We must
therefore improve your electricity availability to enable targets to be met and
production to be as seamless as possible,” Mayor Van Niekerk said.

The meeting took place at the Business Chamber’s
headquarters at KPMG House in Greenacres with a number of prominent regional
business executives in attendance.

Chief Executive Officer of the Nelson Mandela Bay
Business Chamber Denise van Huyssteen said: “We greatly appreciated the
opportunity to meet with the Executive Mayor and to discuss the issues of
concern to business, and more importantly potential solutions to the various
economic challenges facing the metro.

“We were all aligned on the need to continue to
strengthen collaboration between local government and business in order to
retain much needed investment and jobs in Nelson Mandela Bay. 

“In particular it is absolutely vital that
loadshedding mitigation measures such as the 24 hour stage 5+ schedule and load
curtailment are supported and expanded upon to help businesses survive through
the electricity crisis.  

“The Master Memorandum of Understanding between the
Municipality and business provides an important framework to enable
collaboration of shared resources and expertise to  improve service
delivery and embark upon innovative interventions which will benefit the local
economy and our communities,” Van Huyssteen said.

A follow-up meeting to discuss proposals to improve
availability of electricity supply to businesses will be held on July 4, 2023.

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Issued on behalf of the Office of the Executive Mayor
by Media Management Officer Kupido Baron (082 780 2726 / 041 506 1500 / kbaron@mandelametro.gov.za / @kupidobaron).