By Tshepiso Mogotsi

TSHWANE'S new city manager, Blake Mosley-Lefatola, will be taking to his job vast experienced gained working as a regional director for the City of Johannesburg.

Mosley-Lefatola started in his new position as the administrative head of the Tshwane Metro at the beginning of January.

Johannesburg's former Region 7 director says he will be "taking with me the experiences and knowledge I gained from Johannesburg - including good management, decision-making and leadership skills".

Mosley-Lefatola was responsible for overseeing development and services in one of Johannesburg's most densely populated and diverse regions: from the sprawling township of Alexandra to the neighbouring industrial suburbs, a range of residential suburbs like Waverly and Kensington to agricultural holdings.

"I leant that the way to ensure the smooth functioning of region is to make sure that there is a good relationship between the City's administrators and the City's utilities. I was very happy with the working relations in Region 7," Mosley-Lefatola said. "And I now know how important service delivery is to the community," he added.

Blake has been involved in the local government transformation process for about 13 years. Not only has he been involved in the crafting of the new local government dispensation, which included participating in the drafting processes of Local Government Transition Act of 1993, he also participated in numerous negotiations forums in the pre-interim phase where he provided technical advice to delegations seeking an end to Apartheid local government.

Mosley-Lefatola joined the Johannesburg team in March 2001 from the North West provincial government, where he had worked for the Department of Local Development - the same year that the multi-billion rand Alexandra Renewal Project was launched.

The renewal project, a joint venture between government, private sector and non-government organisations, aims to improve the physical, economic and social environment of Alexandra.

While director of the region that encompasses Alexandra, Mosley-Lefatola witnessed a number of the renewal projects achievements, but for him one of the most significant was the construction of a new block of flats in Sixth Avenue, on the corner of London Road. Residential decay was identified as a key issue that needed to be addressed in Alexandra.

The move to the City of Tshwane metro will see Mosley-Lefatola return to his roots. He was involved in 1992 in helping establish the then Greater Pretoria Municipal Council, serving as a technical advisor. He also participated in drafting a framework for local government legislature and the draft of the Transition Act.

Although his new job carries vast responsibilities and duties, Mosley-Lefatola is "looking forward to the exciting challenges" and he has set as his first priority as city manager "to ensure that the target for financial year 2003/2004 is met".

And while Tshwane gains from Mosley-Lefatola's appointment, Johannesburg sees his move in a positive light. "This proves the City can produce leaders and managers who can fill any top positions, in the government or private sector," said Joburg's chief operating officer Sibongile Mazibuko. Last August mayoral committee member Kenny Fihla resigned from the council to become CEO of Business Against Crime.

Wishing Mosley-Lefatola well, Mazibuko said: "The City is very proud of Blake and we wish him all the best in future."

South African Cities Network: www.sacities.net