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News

Mayor Calls For Stronger Service Delivery Partnerships In The City

By The Coastal Reporter · KuGompo City

10 September 2026 · 2 min read

This article was created using or in collaboration with AI. It was then reviewed, fact-checked and edited by a real human. Lastly, it was approved and published by a senior editor.

Mayor Calls For Stronger Service Delivery Partnerships In The City

BCMM executive mayor Princess Faku. Source: Facebook

Buffalo City executive mayor Princess Faku has used a SALGA assembly in East London to push for deeper public participation, better protection of municipal infrastructure and closer cooperation with business and traditional leaders.

Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality mayor Princess Faku says local government must move beyond election promises and deepen public participation if it is to improve services and win back trust.

Faku made the call while welcoming delegates to the South African Local Government Association’s Eastern Cape provincial members’ assembly in KuGompo City this morning, August 18, 2026, where she said municipalities should emerge with practical solutions to the problems they face.

Her message came on a day when she addressed two separate gatherings in KuGompo City, with the central theme in both speeches focusing on partnerships, economic inclusion and stronger delivery from local government.

The SALGA assembly was held under the theme: “Deepening Local Democracy and Enhancing Meaningful Participation Through Elections as Part of the Thoroughgoing Local Government Transformation in South Africa.” Faku said the local government election year should remind municipalities that people must remain at the centre of democracy long after voting day.

She said communities must be active partners in governance and should help shape decisions that affect their lives.

Faku also used the platform to highlight the strain on municipal infrastructure, pointing to cable theft and vandalism as major threats to water and electricity supply. She said protecting critical infrastructure was essential if municipalities were to expand and sustain service delivery.

In that context, she backed the idea of tighter regulation of the scrap metal industry as part of efforts to curb theft of public infrastructure.

The mayor said the Eastern Cape’s economic future depended on stronger cooperation between government, business, labour and communities. She told delegates the province had resources, talent and opportunity, but needed partnerships that could attract investment, create jobs and drive inclusive growth.

Traditional leadership and business representatives were among those welcomed at the assembly, reflecting Faku’s call for closer collaboration across sectors.

Her address also linked local government reform to broader social progress, with Faku noting the significance of Women’s Month and the role of women in public life. She said the province, and the metro, could overcome its challenges by drawing strength from its history and from leaders who had come before.

Faku said municipalities must never lose sight of their purpose: to improve people’s lives and bring services closer to communities.

Buffalo City has not yet set out any new measures arising from the assembly, but the mayor said she hoped the discussions would produce workable outcomes for municipalities across the Eastern Cape.

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