Tshidiso Tlharipe, spokesperson for the Executive Mayor of the Rand West Local City Municipality, Mzi Khumalo, spoke to the Herald on Thursday, 24 February about the new library being built and other important issues.
Starting off with the library, Tlharipe said the municipality had identified the need for a modern library in a convenient space. It will be 1 200 square metres in size, and should be finished in 11 months.
The contractors started working on the construction of the library on 1 February. The library will have Wi-Fi acces, a study section, books, toilets, a kitchen, offices and a section for disabled people, as well as a ramp for wheelchair-bound users.
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The library will work like any other normal library – users pay a once-off fee, and are able to get books to read for a year. Many residents will be sceptical about the new library, because there are other problems they feel should get more attention, but Tlharipe said, ” We are in the process of adjusting our budget.
“It will be tabled before the council on 28 February. The purpose of this adjustment is the need to reprioritise areas where the municipality is lacking and reallocate the budget to those areas,” said Tlharipe.
The areas they will adjust the budget for include roads, maintenance of grass, weeds on sidewalks, burst pipes, sewerage blockages and electricity.
The old library structure will be converted to municipal offices as there is a need for more offices since the merger of the former Randfontein and Westonaria Municipalities.
The municipality is also in the process of undertaking the transfer of ownership of municipal rental stock to beneficiaries. Three areas have already been identified where they will hand title deeds to the residents.
A housing development in the Toekomsrus Extension 4 informal settlement is also on the cards.
The mine also donated two hectares of land, on which 2 500 houses will be built. This project is called the “Western Mega Human Settlement”.
Residents who earn between R3 000 and R15 000 a month, who do not qualify for a housing loan will benefit from this. In Toekomsrus Extension 2, they will be building 1 200 gap houses. They are also appointing a contractor to resurface Rietrivier, Asteroid, Mercury and Appel Streets.
The dumping site is on course and there is space for dumping. One trash compacter was broken, but it was fixed about three weeks ago. One front-end loader and another trash compacter are not working, but residents can dump their waste once again.
“Regarding the informal settlement next to the dumping site, the council is looking to see who qualifies for RDP housing and relocating the residents,” addedTlharipe.
Recently a disabled resident complained that there is no ramp for disabled people wanting to pay their electricity bills. Tlharipe said, “I note the issue as raised, and will escalate it to the Maintenance and Building section to ensure that it complies with legislated requirements.
“Lastly, the Toekomsrus Library that was burnt down will be refurbished with the R4,5 million payout from the insurance company,” he said.
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