The city of Tshwane metropolitan municipality has just been rated nationally as the city offering the best management and social care, and Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa, executive mayor as most pro-active mayor.

The CTMM received the Golden Arrow award for best city management, the Silver Arrow award for providing the best social care and the Executive Mayor received the Diamond Arrow award for being the most pro-active Mayor in bringing about community upliftment. This annual survey is done by Professional Management Review - Intelligence. The survey of cities is rated by government and the private sector. The survey ratings on best managed city are done on the following attributes:

• Provision of effective policing and crime prevention
• Effective municipal services
• Effective municipal administration
• Effective infrastructure
• Suitability for local investors
• Realistic and attractive future growth plans
• Attractive investor concessions or subsidies
• Community development
• Offering services to business overall (i.e. work on a close consultative basis with the business sector)
• Offering special opportunities for investment and business as a whole
• Attracting tourists
• Offering unemployment solutions
• Pro-active media approach
• Fight against HIV/Aids
• Transparency
• Financial control
• Enterprise promotion initiatives
• Environmental care/preservation

The CTMM were also rated second and third in other areas:

• Cities offering the best tourism and environmental care: Tshwane rated third overall.
• Cities offering the best substructure (municipal structure is stable and organised): Tshwane rated second overall
• Cities offering the best lifestyle: Tshwane rated fourth overall.

As a municipality we also celebrate the awards received by our departments and individuals officials.

As part of woman's month the Gauteng Provincial Government recognized the important role women plays in society. In the section Women in Local Government, three women of Tshwane received awards:

Clr Thembi Mmoko: Winner in the Service Delivery Category. She heads the Masana Rural Development Centre in Stinkwater where people receive free advice on issues associated with municipal services.

Ms Kgomotso Mohlala, General Manager, Local Economic Development: Winner Socio Economic Development Category. Established an agricultural citrus project in Hammanskraal where members of the community are assisted by the planting of citrus trees.

Ms June Matlala, General Manager, Special Programmes: Winner in the most empowering municipality in Gauteng. Under this category verbal presentations had to be made to a panel of judges (Wiphold, DBSA, National Association of women, Umsobomvu Youth Fund and Department of Local Government) on how the municipality has promoted and encouraged women empowerment and gender equality, the impact and effectiveness of the municipality's gender programmes.

The Roads and Stormwater Division received an award by the South African Institution of Civil Engineers for the Moretele Gardens Pedestrian Bridge. This project was highly commended for the most outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement in the technical excellence category 2003.

Source: City of Tshwane, Communications Division