BY ERIC MATOME KGOMO
KWAGGAFONTEIN: The Thembisile Hani Local Municipality (THLM) Mayoral Imbizo’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) budget public consultation is currently ongoing. The programme has kick started on Tuesday 4 May until Friday 14 May 2020 with consultations to various stakeholders in different villages of the municipality, seeking to radically transform interaction between government and communities to better respond to the needs of the people.
During the outreach, THLM Executive Mayor Cllr Nomsa Mtshweni, accompanied by member of the Mayoral Committee, presents the adopted IDP, budget and proposed tariffs for the 2021/2022 financial year. Some of the key issues address by the executive mayor include 2020/21 capital projects progress report that contains the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and Water and Sanitation Infrastructure Grant (WSIG). Mtshweni explained the ongoing multi-year projects that includes the drilling, refurbishment and equipping of boreholes with the aim of curbing the spread of Covid-19 in the villages. Among other capital projects, the executive mayor outlines the construction of day waste water treatment plants, construction of outfall sewer lines and internal reticulation over a 20 year period, in phases.
Furthermore, the executive mayor commits construction of a soccer fields, a multipurpose netball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, basketball courts, and community centres. Mtshweni says the local municipality will soon be completing paved roads and bus routes within the municipality. In terms of tariff increase, the municipality has set a R87.00 basic water flat rate per households. Businesses, churches and government institutions will be paying R637.00. Basic sanitation flat rate per households will be R40.02, Government buildings R742.78, flat rate for churches and schools R297.11 and businesses will pay a R297.10 flat rate. The 2021/22 Nkangala District Municipality has injected R92 330 000, 00 for THLM projects. The budget will be used to construct a community hall in Moloto in the excess of R7 500 000, 00, the building of Bundu/Machipe Community Hall with the amount of R500 000.00, implementation of Disaster Management Awareness Campaign THLM with the amount of R60 000, 00 and to widespread HIV/Aids Awareness Campaigns in THLM with a R60 000.00 budget. In addition, the district municipality allocated R650 000.00 for THLM land surveying, R60 000.00 for education and awareness campaign, R75 000 000.00 Loskop Regional Bulk Water Supply, R4 000 000.00 for Phumula storm water and R4 500 000.00 for Kwaggafontein Storm water projects. Challenges commonly raise by the public in various villages are poor services that include water shortages, youth unemployment, lack of opportunities for local businesses, poor roads standards, shortage of RDP houses, incomplete projects and lack of electricity.
