Residents to pay 4.8% more for services

“The budget tabled here today is influenced by the current challenges faced by our communities and the opportunities we foresee in order to build a better tomorrow. The high unemployment rate within our communities, lack of sustainable services, and the growing allocation of residential sites in almost all our villages which will need infrastructures such as roads, water, and electricity, put a serious financial obligation on the municipality.

“I should remind honourable councillors that our people said they need water, electricity, houses, proper roads, and a safe and healthy environment to live in,” said Zitha. R3,97 million has been budgeted for upgrading the Selawa road from gravel to paved, R20,14 million for upgrading the Section E (Voningani) road from gravel to paved, R1,81 million is for the alternative R81 road along with the CBD in Giyani, and R4 million for the Nkhensani access road in Section A.

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“We also budgeted R1,5 million for the alternative R578 road to Elim on the Siyandhani side, R1,5 million to pave the Hlomela road, R1 million for the Siyandhani ring road, R1 million for upgrading Shikhumba road from gravel to paved, R1 million for phase 2 of the Makosha road and R1 million for upgrading Shawela road from a gravel to paved road,” she added.

She said that from the previous term to date, they have managed to electrify many of their villages’ extensions to the extent that the National Treasury awarded them a bonus of R9.2 million which they received in March. “The municipality should intensify its campaign of ensuring that our communities and the business communities pay for the rates and taxes so as to ensure that the municipality generates its own revenue which is essential in order to fast track service delivery to our communities.

The IDP budget approved with its policies and the tariff structure which generally reflect an increase in rates by 4.8%, is pivotal to implement and we call upon our ratepayers to realise that paying for rates and taxes is an investment that will see our communities developing and ensure services,” she concluded. The remuneration of councillors was calculated using the percentages of employee-related costs while still waiting for the Government Gazette on the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act.