Manor Gardens UIP awaits green light from City
Manor Gardens residents have until December 15 to raise their objections to the UIP in the area. Paperwork has been filed with the eThekwini Municipality to officialy recognise the civic organisation.
FOLLOWING a decisive vote on the establishing of the Manor Gardens Urban Improvement Precinct (MGUIP), the steering committee, led by chairperson Shaun Kruger, has submitted the relevant documents needed to be recognised by the eThekwini Municipality.
Kruger said the setting up of the MGUIP is not yet a done deal with eThekwini still needing to look over the documents to ‘see if the correct people voted’ for the setting up of the civic organisation. He said, “We have submitted all the documents to the City, and residents have until December 15 to voice their objections to the UIP in Manor Gardens.”
The steering committee anticipates hearing from eThekwini in early 2025. “The eThekwini Council is expected to sit in February, and they will have to vote on it because it will affect a change to municipal rates for residents. We will then, in March or April, sign a finance agreement with the City. The MGUIP will then officially start in July 2025 for the new municipal financial year,” said Kruger.
Also Read: Manor Gardens UIP vote extended to November 10
The Manor Gardens UIP, in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004, must set up a non-profit company with a board of non-remunerated directors. The board will be constituted by representatives of the property owners who will approve a business plan and the annual budget. Steering committee secretary Deidre Taylor reassured residents who will be paying for the services of the UIP leading up to July 2025, saying that upon signing the financial agreement, the additional rates will be deducted by eThekwini from the residents who opted in.
“The deductions will be in June, July and August, and the UIP will get the money in September for the three months. However, while we wait for the funds to be paid, we will still be undertaking small projects in the area, such as clean-ups, because there is no money yet for big initiatives,” said Taylor. The MGUIP will be working alongside the Manor Gardens Ratepayers’ Association, which has its own board to hold the municipality accountable for service delivery to the area. The MGUIP will hold its first annual general meeting (AGM) at the end of January where members will be elected into office.
“In the meantime, those who have been contributing towards the ratepayers’ association, please continue to do so until the UIP is up and running. Until such time, and going forward, we would like more community involvement,” said Taylor.
To find out more about MGUIP and its progress, you can visit their website at www.mguip.co.za or their Facebook page. Alternatively, contact Shaun Kruger by emailing chair@mguip.co.za or call 084 368 9943. The committee secretary, Deidre Taylor, can be reached by contacting secretary@mguip.co.za or 083 793 3188.
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