In continued efforts to bring services to the people, the Alfred Duma Local Municipality led by His Worship the Mayor Cllr Zama Sibisi and Deputy Mayor Cllr Sizwe Simelane, ward Cllr Nzuza, Cllr Mbhense, Cllr Madondo, and Cllr Xaba, held a community engagement with residents of KwaJwili and Waaihoek, ward 31, on Monday, October 16, 2023, despite the torrential rain that fell that day. During the engagement, the municipality discussed the service delivery schedule for the financial year 2023–24.
Speaking to the community, Mayor Sibisi began by informing parents about the municipality’s programme to help students with admission fee registrations to higher institutions before laying out the list of projects to be carried out in ward 31.
In the area of Mabhekazi, R9 million was used to construct and maintain the ward’s road network. To speed service delivery to all wards, a budget of R27 million was set available for the purchase of new machinery for the plants as well as appointing of a contractor to finish building the low-water crossing and a contractor for the Waaihoek community hall’s phase 2 construction. The municipality is encouraging the use of the soil as a source to fight poverty, create jobs, and enhance the local economy as the summer season. Through planting municipal tractors go around all 37 of our wards and plough for the community at no cost.
The residents were also afforded the chance to voice their issues, with one particular issue that they brought up being the water crisis, like water shortage that most other municipalities endure. The people who had even brought bottles filled with contaminated water as a sample of their daily lives were calmed down by Mayor Sibisi, who explained that water function is under the uThukela District Municipality. However, in addition to this matter the municipality has taken measures to consult with relevant stakeholders and initiate a request that the basic right to be given to local municipality and provide water to Ladysmith community
The contractor who will complete the construction of the new Waaihoek Community Hall was introduced by the mayor and council members as they went to the community hall. When given the opportunity to interact with the community, Mr. N Mdluli of Noxolo & Mali Trading, the project’s designated contractor, pledged to boost the number of jobs to be created from 10 to 15. The community members present at the meeting enthusiastically praised this. The project has an R2 million budget and is anticipated to be completed in four months.
