As the political head of the new council of Emalahleni Local Municipality, may I take this opportunity to greet you and introduce you to your council for 2011-2016.

We thank you for your confidence in electing us to these positions and wish to assure you that we hold the needs of Emalahleni Local Municipality very close to our hearts. We are here to make a difference and we are here to build better life for everyone!

As per the national key performance indicators, we are committed to the following key development priorities:

• Service Delivery
• Local Economic Development and Growth
• Financial Viability
• Good Governance and Public Participation
• Municipal Institutional Development and Transformation

It is our mandate to improve service delivery throughout all departments, to provide sound governance and financial structures, to facilitate growth and development within the Emalahleni municipal area and to ensure that institutional and infrastructure growth occurs in order to ensure that the full potential of this local municipality is realized and sustained.

We pledge to improve and enhance service delivery in all key development priority areas. In order to do so effectively we need to engage with the community and to fully understand your service delivery needs. Public Participation is a vital component of this relationship and to this end we have already facilitated meetings and additional opportunities to provide input and create relationships with you as the community.

We would like to thank and commend our outgoing council for their accomplishments over the past five (5) years. We are committed to continuing with your legacy and to creating a future about which we can all be proud.

We look forward to working with the Municipal Manager and his management team and staff. Without you all we could not achieve the goals we have set. We look forward to serving you with pride and commitment as we build Emalahleni Local Municipality together.