The Ilembe District recently bought new machinery, vehicles and equipment that will assist the municipality to provide water and sanitation.
“The municipality has purchased two TLBs, two honeysuckers and three new jetting machines,” said mayor Cllr Siduduzo Gumede.
“We were heavily reliant on private contractors and that was taking a lot of our money. Us owning these will reduce our municipal operational costs and reduce expected turnaround times.”
The mayor also spoke of new water and sanitation projects for the 2019/2020 financial year.
The municipality hopes to change from VIP to a water borne system, which Gumede said could take ten years to complete.
He said operational challenges include insufficient funding, a decrease in external funding from government, and non-payment for services.
“I encourage ratepayers to continue to contribute,” he said.
“Our new projects are going to have a very positive impact,” said municipal manager, Geoffrey Kumalo.
