Cape Town: Delegation from the City of Ekurhuleni’s Corporate and Shared Services Oversight Committee conducted a two-day benchmarking visit to the City of Cape Town. This aims at strengthening governance systems and improving service delivery.
Reportedly, the delegation was hosted by the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Corporate Services – Alderman Theresa Uys, who welcomed the opportunity for intergovernmental collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Chairperson of the Corporate and Shared Services Oversight Committee at Ekurhuleni – Councillor Dineo Matsi said that the City of Cape Town was identified as a key metropolitan municipality from which they can learn best practices. Their goal is to replicate effective systems that will strengthen governance, improve accountability and enhance service delivery in Ekurhuleni. They are confident that with the right political will and systems in place, they can achieve the standards they aspire to.
During the benchmarking visit, the Ekurhuleni delegation shared that despite similarities in municipal size and budgets with the City of Cape Town, they intend to strengthen their internal systems. Particularly in the context of coalition governance and a workforce of over 15,817 employees serving its communities.
The engagement focused on four critical pillars:
- Overtime Management: Exploring effective measures to control and optimise overtime expenditure
- Tourism and Brand Marketing Strategy: Insights into tourism development, destination marketing and strategic partnerships
- Litigation Management: Mechanisms to reduce legal costs and improve case resolution timelines
- Service Delivery Standards: Enhancing turnaround times and improving customer enquiry management
The delegation also conducted a site visit to the City of Cape Town’s call centre and various Civic Centre offices. They gained practical insights into operational efficiencies and customer service systems.
Ekurhuleni’s Oversight Committee Whip – Councillor Thabani Goje said that over the past two days, they observed that the City of Cape Town’s offices have strong security systems, better infrastructure maintenance and lower levels of vandalism, particularly where traffic lights are concerned.
According to Goje, Cape Town’s overall scenery and atmosphere offer a distinctly more tranquil and calming experience. There is a clear institutional stability, with long-serving officials and experienced councillors that contributed to continuity and effective governance.
Looking forward, the City of Ekurhuleni will assess the insights that were gained during the visit to Cape Town. They also explored how best to implement key learnings to improve internal systems, enhance accountability and deliver better services to their residents.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Corporate Services – Alderman Theresa Uys stated that these exchanges allowed them to reflect on their own systems while contributing to the broader goal of building capable and responsive municipalities. Such collaborations strengthen local government across South Africa and support the vision of being a City of Hope.