The building was declared open to the public by municipal manager Tebogo Molefe and customers will now enjoy walking into the newly refurbished rates hall, following massive renovations to the tune of over R15 million over the past three years.

Standing in long queues for services and overcrowding at the rates hall will be a thing of the past. The multimillion rand construction process included the building of nine new service counters fitted with latest computers, printers and office furniture, the renovation of the foyer and the building of a spacious 2-storey administration hall and new offices for ward councillors.

Externally, the Nigel CCC underwent the construction of covered walkways, covered parking, exterior painting of the existing buildings, waterproofing and painting of existing roofs.

In the lobby of the new CCC office is a display of artefacts such as the original typewriters and addressograph machines used during the 1960s. Hennie Jacobs has worked for the municipality for over 40 years and was the original operator of the addressograph – a machine used by the municipality to make name and address changes for billing purposes. During 1983 the municipality changed to a computer system.

“Delivering efficient services to our customers is a priority.  As a City we aim to create and maintain a standard look and feel in all our customer care centres with the intention to create a conducive working environment,” Mr Molefe said.