Cyril Xaba has been sworn in as the Mayor of eThekwini Municipality, ending weeks of speculation after the former mayor Mxolisi Kaunda joined the National Council of Provinces.
Xaba joins the City after serving in the National Assembly as a Co-Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Defence and as Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans from 2019 until recently.
In his acceptance speech at the Dirban City Hall, Xaba said his appointment was like a ‘baptism of fire’.
He acknowledged that he has a mammoth task ahead of him as the City to has to provide services like water and sanitation, make the City more safer and clean, strenghten good governance, provide inner city rejuvination, as well as to fight corruption.
Currently the Municipality was places under Administration 154 by the newly appointed KZN Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi.
“As the leadership of the City, we welcome the support from the Provincial and National government through Section 154. We want to assure you that we will continue to cooperate with the support teams to ensure that the City improves in all identified areas of intervention, *promised Xaba.
Xaba also promised the residents of eThekwini that he will also attract investors which would in turn create jobs.
Xaba said he will make sure that the new approach is adopted in areas that are not performing well while enhancing transparency and improving on accessibility.
He stressed that his administration will make aure that those entrusted with responsibilities are responsive and more accountable.
He urged the employees of eThekwini Municipality to recommit themselves by serving the public with integrity, honiur and humility in line with the Batho Pele principles.
“We must state unequivocally that we will not tolerate people who do not want to work and those wholersue their self interest at the expense of the people of eThekwini. We will monitor performance of senior management to ensure that it is all alligned to the objectives and key performance indicators that underpin our IDP (Integrated Development Plan), “added Xaba.