OFFICIAL RESIDENTS NEWSLETTER OF EKURHULENI entsweLa Ekurhuleni March/April 2020 free copy SIYAKHOKHA HITS THE 100K MARK!!! L The City of Ekurhuleni is proud to announce that its online municipal bill SOD TURNED payment system Siyakhokha.ekurhuleni. gov.za which is an electronic bill and directly belongs to the City has reached a staggering over 100 thousand registered residents in a record breaking four months. FOR NEW This is proof that the City is indeed moving in the right direction to be the smart, creative and developmental city. Siyakhokha has taken it even a step further and ensured that the system only gets better with time. It has recently leaped into the HOUSING second phase of the system upgrade which means there are added features that are going to make your life even better and simpler. With the deployment of the new production, the payment system now allows for instant EFT payments. This means customers will DEVELOPMENT now have a third payment method, in addition to Masterpass payments and debit orders. This method will enable the customers to have money debited and/ or collected from their bank account immediately. Previously customers had problems with the debit order option where money would be debited later than when customers had submitted the instruction to debit, resulting in residents receiving unwarranted notifications and disconnections. Registered Siyakhokha users will now also receive statement notifications via SMS or Email. This means as soon as the new monthly statement is uploaded on Siyakhokha, customers will be sent an SMS or Email to inform them about the available statement, which will also highlight the amount due and payment due date, just to mention a few. These are just other ways that the City is ensuring that its residents are provided with a safe and user-friendly payment system that allows them easy ways to access, view, manage and pay their municipal bills. The City continues to encourage all residents who have not registered to please do so on Siyakhokha.ekurhuleni.gov.za. Once registered you will then be able to access, manage and pay your municipal account. You Executive Mayor Cllr Mzwandile Masina officiated the sod turning of the new housing can also contact our Siyakhokha call centre development project earmarked for Thembisa Extension 25. on 011 999 5102 Monday to Friday (08h00 – 17h00) or Saturday to Sunday (08h00 – This mega project is set to create done by June 2019, and included 13h00), or email: siyakhokha@ekurhuleni. well-designed, sustainable and the construction of water and sewer gov.za integrated human settlements that reticulation, storm water and electrical Siyakhokha Siyathuthuka! We pay We will enhance the value of property infrastructure and road networks. progress! ownership for its residents, and The first phase of the top structures upgrade and integrate the urban consists of 500 units to be built as four In this issue: environment. storey walk-ups, using alternative The site covers over 58ha and will building technology (ABT) that will yield 3 510 housing units, of which help accelerate the delivery of the units. 3 159 are RDP walk-ups and the Houses built using this technology are remaining 351 are social housing 10% - 20% more economical than units. The units are to be built as four conventional methods, but still deliver storey walk-ups. on quality. In addition it is more Construction of bulk services were environmentally friendly. Continued on page 2 pg Moving with the 3 times entswe From page 1 Two ABT contractors have been in phases, and construction is set to spread beneficiaries of the Thembisa Extension “This was not only a sod turning event, it appointed for the construction of the over several financial years ending in 2024. 25 project are Winnie Mandela informal was an event that marks a turning point for first phase of 500 units, and the site was Over 180 new jobs will be created the first settlement residents, Winnie Mandela the Winnie Mandela community to finally handed over to them earlier this month. phase of the top structures and a minimum community with Court interdicts, Winnie have a dignified place to call home,” said The remaining units and bulk link on the of 100 people will be trained and up-skilled Mandela residents with 2-in-1 stands - 2 Mayor Masina. project are scheduled to be implemented during the construction process. The main households sharing one stand. Scores of people attended the briefing session where details of tender number .EDP 01-2010 for release of the farms were discussed at the Germiston City Hall on the 4 October 2019. Document is free to download on City of Ekurhuleni website or R250 to collect the document at Finance building, Tender Office, Ground floor, 68 Woburn Avenue, Benoni. For contractual information contact 011-999-6540/6567. Closing date for the tender is November 13. OFFICIAL RESIDENTS NEWSLETTER OF EKURHULENI 2 entswe FUNDING OPPOTUNITIES FOR CITY OF EKURHULENI REACTS LOCAL BUSINESS AVAILABLE TO AUDIT OUTCOME The agenda for development of Small, Township Economy; Industrialisation; The City of Ekurhuleni welcomes the no sufficient revenue inflow from service Medium and Micro Enterprises in the Business Services; Environmental Auditor-General’s 2016/17 financial charges. City is gaining momentum thanks to Services; and Human Development. year audit report which has revealed a “Indeed, we are presiding over an the Ekurhuleni Community Enterprise The ideal partners are organisations complete elimination of unauthorised institution that has a low exposure to credit Development Fund (ECEDF). who mainly focus on developing expenditure in the City. risk and thus far has been able to service The ECEDF, a partnership between black businesses (in particular black While the opening balance in both its long term and short term debts the City of Ekurhuleni and National industrialists) in manufacturing, media and unauthorised expenditure stood at R67m without default,” says Dr Mashazi. Empowerment Fund is designed to support printing services, financial and distribution at the beginning of the financial year under Other high level achievements include the development of community enterprises services, tourism, retail and wholesale, review, the City managed to completely the marginal improvement on the which are Small, Medium and Micro, automotive sectors, including established avoid any such spending in the 2016/17 credibility of data that informs the reported individual entrepreneurs, cooperatives, and emerging black farmers financial year. information. This is attributed to the informal traders and formal businesses. The funding threshold for this category “The fact that this fifth administration strengthening of data quality controls and It offers financial assistance to is from R100 000 to R6 Million achieved this in its first year of leadership improvements in the combined assurance enterprises per financial year. The fund bears testimony to our dedication to processes (monitoring and internal audit) welcome proposals that focus on creative Fetola B clean financial management and efficient instituted by the City. and innovative business concepts, Financing is for black-owned business administration,” says the city manager, Dr In the audit report Auditor-General solutions and programmes, that address or industrialists in the following high Imogen Mashazi. stated: “In my opinion, the consolidated and Township Economies, Business Services, level priority areas. Acquisition Finance, The above successes must be attributed separate financial statements present fairly, Industrialisation, Environmental Services Entrepreneurship, Finance, Procurement to the City’s rejuvenation and strengthening in all material aspects, the consolidated and Human Development. Finance, Franchise Finance, Expansion of governance committees, a move that has and separate financial position of the group Funding which entrepreneurs have Capital, Project Finance, Liquidity and seen all the procurement committees sitting as at 30 June 2017, and their financial access on is divided into four components Warehousing, Rural and Community on a regular basis. The metro has gone on to performance and cash flows for the year namely; Phanda, Ximilani, Fetola A and Development Fund, Strategic Projects attract competent managers to run the City’s then ended in accordance with the South Fetola B. Fund and Capital Markets. procurement; reviewing of the membership African Standards of Generally Recognised in committees; training of project managers Accounting Practice and the requirements Phanda Focus in Municipal Finance Management Act to of the MFMA of 2003 and the Division of This category will assist Individual The focused area of support is in broaden their understanding of the supply Revenue Act of South Africa, 2016.” Entrepreneurs, Small, Medium and Micro Invoice discounting, Equity discounting, chain processes, policies and regulations. Another notable area of good Enterprises, Cooperatives, Informal Franchise finance, Procurement finance, Special attention has also been given to performance is the City’s dedicated focus Traders. The focus area of support is Acquisition finance, Expansion capital, consequence management to ensure that in delivering good quality services to the Township Economies, Industrialisation, Debt finance, Liquidity and warehousing, those found to be flouting the supply chain poor and previously disadvantaged areas. Business Services, Environmental Services Rural and community development fund policy are taken to