eMBALENHLE – Ms Lindi Masina, executive mayor of the Govan Mbeki Municipality, together with members of the mayoral committee, councillors and officials, held a Mayoral Imbizo programme at Risko Fakude Stadium on 12 April.
It was aimed at giving residents feedback regarding service delivery and to listen to any problems facing the community before the general elections on 7 May.
Ms Masina said out of 24 503 households in eMbalenhle, Charl Cilliers and local farms, 23 579 are provided with clean portable water.
She said a backlog of 1 354 households are still without water.
Ms Masian said this is caused by the old main bulk water pipe line supplying water to the reservoir near the Adullam School and Missionary.
“We are still having asbestos water pipes that continuously burst.”
Ms Masina said they are delivering potable water to farm residents twice a week
“We are drilling boreholes and installing windmills and we expect to finish in June.
“In the short term, we are replacing a section of the bulk water pipeline.
“We intend replacing asbestos water pipe lines in the 2015/16 financial year.”
Ms Masina said out of the 24 503 households, only 23 494 have access to sanitation.
989 households have no access to basic sanitation, these are people from farms and unproclaimed stands.
Ms Masina said vandalism and theft of sewer infrastructure mainly on pump stations, old sewer infrastructure, poorly constructed sewer reticulation network and throwing of Pamper, bricks and cloths on the network and manholes are some of the problems the municipality is faced with.
Ms Masina said they have upgraded the sewer reticulation network in Extension 16 for R4.5 million.
A budget of R9 million will be spent in Extension 18 and R10 million will be spent in Extension 22 for Phase 1 and will be finished in July.
Phase 2 is funded by the Department of Human Settlement for R40 million and is at the tender stage.
Ms Masina said R8 million that is funded by Sasol for Extension 26 will begin next month.
A total of 200 VIP toilets were converted in Extension 18.
“We are refurbishing the Waste Water Treatment Works and we have refurbished four pump stations at a cost of R4 million in Extension 4, 18, 24 and 25.
“We continuously attend to reported sewer spillages on the network,” said Ms Masina.
Ms Masina said the area is fully electrified and all street and high mast lights have been fixed and are currently maintained.
Altogether 54 new street lights and six mast lights were installed in Extension 16 and 26.
Ms Masina said the electricity network in the area is under constraints because of backyard dwelling and developments taking place.
She is worried about the illegal connections and theft of electricity that is taking place in the area.
Ms Masina said a short-term winter plan has been put in place and implemented by the municipality.
“Outstanding high mast lights in Extension 16 and 17 will be finished by June 2014.”
Ms Masina said 115 houses on local farms will be electrified in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
She said 218 will be connected with electricity in 2014/15.
Ms Masina said a list has been drawn up and implemented for the re-gravelling of main roads into different wards.
The main P5/1, Albert Luthuli, Kubheka Road, Makgatle, Ngwasheng, Joe Makhubu, Joe Nhlabathi, Lindiwe Nxiweni and Seokodibeng Road are maintained.
The Joe Makhubu Phase 1 and 2, an Extension 22 road that links the cemetery, a road in Extension 16, Dlanga Crescent and Bekker Street in Charl Cilliers roads project were finished in February.
Ms Masina said the road network has reached its designed life span and a system has been developed as a long-term tool to address roads and storm water systems.
She said 160 positions have been created in the Extended Public Works Programme.
“We have employed 1 368 people through the Community Works Programme and 19 graduates have been employed through a partnership programme with Rand Water.”
Ms Masian said 19 interns form Further Education Training institution were employed in January and 12 leanership interns were employed to the call centre.
“We have advertised 20 positions for graduate internship in the following the electrical, civil engineering, town planning and building control fields.”
Ms Masina said a total of 1 211 low cost houses were built between 2009 and this year and 14 houses were built through the intervention of the Premier Legacy project
“An allocation of 600 units has been approved for the 2013/14 financial year targeting in Extension 18, 20, 21 and 26.
“R10 million was made available by Sasol for the Ikusasa Housing Project that targets the disabled, child-headed families and pensioners.”
Ms Masina said 214 stands were advertised for people earning a gross income between R7 000 and R15 000.
She said an adjudication process will be finished by the end of next month and feedback will be given to successful bidders by the end of June.
Ms Masina said the municipality is faced with scarcity of land and under mining activities that are taking place are making it difficulty to provide residents with land.
