Ermelo: Mpumalanga MEC for Community Safety, Security and Liaison, Mr Vusi Shongwe, and Executive Mayor of Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM), Cllr Mishack Nhlabathi, officially opened the multi-million rand Disaster Management Centre in Carolina recently.
The R13.1-million centre is the third centre to be opened by GSDM.
Construction work took 14 months to complete and provided job opportunities to19 local members.
MEC Shongwe made an appeal to the public not to destroy and vandalise such projects during service delivery protests. He also told everyone to respect other people’s rights to protest, but that does not mean burning and destroying such much-needed centres.
Chief Albert Luthuli Executive Mayor, Cllr B.P. Shiba, said it is now in the hands of the community to make use of the centre as it is there to help them with emergencies and major disasters.
Earlier on the day MEC Shongwe opened and handed over to the local municipality the 5th Street project at Silobela.
Cllr Shiba described the day as important to the people of Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality.
