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Unrealistic ‘NMB Service Delivery Charter’ – another dishonest promise to residents?

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Dear Editor

The DA will go to Council to fight the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s directive to implement its Service Delivery Charter – which makes service delivery commitments that are unattainable.

On Monday, 27 January 2025, the Acting City Manager directed that the municipal Service Delivery Charter be implemented. The Charter was approved by Council in 2022 and the DA immediately raised concerns about this decision.

We have two major concerns. Firstly, while the Charter is intended to be a public commitment from the municipality, the public has not been made aware of its contents. Secondly, those contents are unrealistic and unachievable.

Residents are entitled to know what they can expect in terms of service delivery. It is unacceptable that the intention to implement this Service Charter has not been publicly announced.

The lack of public engagement is likely directly linked to the fact that the municipality cannot hope to deliver on the targets listed in the Charter. For example, commitments are made to fix potholes within five days, attend to faded road markings within seven days and to repair streetlights within 21 days. It simply cannot deliver on these promises, and the long list like them.

These turnaround times are not supposed to be aspirational goals but fixed promises, which are impossible given the municipality’s current resources.

The DA will now submit formal questions at the next Council meeting to request feedback on how the Acting City Manager intends to meet these unachievable targets and call for the creation of a more attainable and transparent service delivery standard.

We find the decision to enforce these unfeasible commitments questionable, especially when there is no clear plan to meet them. Residents deserve transparency and realistic service delivery expectations.

The DA is in your corner, fighting for you. Together we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.

Regards

Cllr Annette Lovemore
DA NMB Spokesperson for Corporate Services

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