In all, AMSA intends to spend about R3 million on such improvements to the street and road infrastructure within Vanderbijlpark in 2023.
The maintenance work is part of a fast-growing trend by corporate and large businesses in Emfuleni to directly plan and execute service delivery projects within their direct geographical proximity – with AMSA now focusing on potholes, grass-cutting, and street lighting.
AMSA has now appealed to other Vaal-based companies to join in upgrading Emfuleni for better service delivery and improved regional investment climate.
Vanderbijlpark’s industrial areas and their key access routes have been hard-hit by service delivery gaps and heavy truck usage with little or no maintenance done on them for years – to such an extent that major companies are even considering long-term privatising the Vaal rail network to avoid further road damage.
According to AMSA, all potholes in Hertz, McColm and Delfos Boulevards have now been repaired, at a cost of R535 000 and covering 393 square meters.
Street lights were fixed at Delfos Centre Station and Hertz Boulevard with 69 lights repaired and repairs costing R1,6 million already done, said Tami Didiza, Senior Manager: Stakeholder Management and Communications.
Next area for improvement will be Curie and Faraday Boulevards between AMSA and the Vanderbijlpark CBD and with contractors already appointed on 1 March 2023, said Didiza.
After that AMSA intends upgrading Westinghouse, Playfair and Livingstone Boulevards, also in Vanderbijlpark as well.
The upgrade projects involve using SMME contractors and not AMSA personnel, Didiza emphasised.
AMSA and ELM Mayor Sipho Radebe last year on 30 September signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the municipality on service delivery projects.
Since then, ELM service delivery took a massive hit after a drawn-out wrangle with Eskom over its R6bn debt, which resulted in R300 million in government grant money seized by Eskom along with the entire municipal vehicle fleet following a court attachment order.
- Smart meter service provider BXC – contracted with ELM – last year also fixed 200 street lights in Three Rivers, Vereeniging, as a social responsibility project during its pre-paid meter reactivation phase.
