City deeply concerned and surprised at alleged attempts by the SJC to destabilise service delivery

This morning my office received very serious allegations regarding the Social Justice Coalition (SJC), who are currently conducting a ‘social audit' on refuse removal and area cleaning in Khayelitsha. The purported aim of the SJC's ‘social audit' is to "hold local government to account and ensure that it fulfils its mandate to deliver basic and essential services".

The City of Cape Town is deeply concerned about reports that the SJC has been engaging with employees of the City's contractors regarding their employment arrangements with the contractors. This is clearly outside the mandate they have set themselves for their social audit.

We have received reports that the SJC has claimed that the money the City is paying contractors is going to the bosses at the cost of the employees' salaries. Trying to cause unhappiness with workers threatens the very essence of what the SJC claims they are trying to achieve, which is improved service delivery.

In light of this, the City has asked its contractors to compile affidavits so that, if necessary, we can take this matter forward. We view attempts to destabilise service delivery in the area in a very serious light.

This is particularly so given that the City is finally coming out of a destabilisation period regarding sanitation. During that period, the actions of a few individuals severely threatened the well-being and safety of broader communities.

The City needs to put on record the following:

• Staff wages constitute over 80% of the contract value.
• Conditions of employment are determined by the contractors concerned, in terms of the prescript of national legislation.

The City has, in good faith, over the past few months availed the following information to the SJC with regards to its social audit on refuse removal and area cleaning:

• Tenders
• Copies of invoices
• Copies of proof of payment
• Copies of monitoring forms
• Delivery notes for plastic bags
• Expanded Public Works Programme data for each month
• A photographic table indicating cleanliness standards required
• Attendance registers of meetings held with contractors

Additionally, I and senior City officials attended the SJC's workshop for their social audit on Monday 30 September 2013 and provided further information regarding the concerned services.

For the record, the City wishes to state the following with regards to its contracted service of refuse removal and area cleaning in informal settlements city-wide, not just Khayelitsha, where the SJC focus:

In 1997, the City introduced a door-to-door refuse removal service to residents in informal settlements. This became a coordinated service delivered to all in 2006 when the City became the uni-city. Prior to this, refuse was provided for by the placement of skips in which households could deposit their refuse.

The workers collect full bags from households, and provide replacement blue bags. Full bags are placed in shipping containers which are positioned in accessible locations within each settlement.

In some instances, communities have not agreed to containers being placed, in which case central storage points are provided. A separate contractor is responsible for emptying the containers and servicing all storage points at least twice a week. Additionally, the contractors are responsible for light area cleaning and litter picking in between dwellings.

The City of Cape Town was the first metro to fully roll out the door-to-door service and has consistently improved on it. Additionally the City has shared information with other municipalities in delivering this service.

This is one of the many issues that the SJC has communicated on with the City, and the City has repeatedly availed information and attended a number of meetings - including for their social audit on chemical toilets in Khayelitsha. The outcome of the SJC's alleged actions could result in a drop in services provided to the extent that services might be halted due to misinformation regarding budgets and wages.

The City will only attend tomorrow's social audit public hearing to discuss the issues of delivery of services and will not engage on matters regarding employees of the contractors. The City believes that the SJC has detracted from their own mandate and the City does not believe that they reciprocate the good faith that we have engaged with. The City will raise these and other concerns with the SJC when they meet with them on Tuesday.

Statement issued by Councillor Ernest Sonnenberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services, City of Cape Town, October 5 2013

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter