In the local government space, there are several ways to build community trust and deliver sustainable outcomes.

Adequate public participation, credible budgeting and best practices are just some of them.

The beginning of a new financial year is always a very interesting time as we see projects unfold and the delivery of long-awaited basic services.

The delivery of sustainable outcomes is certainly a contentious issue, as year on year communities must wait for months on end to receive a basic level of service because of poor planning, wasteful expenditure and supply chain policies that are not implemented effectively.

In Ward 22, we are seeing the rollout of long-awaited streetlight repairs. Malfunctioning lights have plunged the ward into darkness for years.

A total of 82 have been identified for repair, so effectively this elephant is being eaten at a slow pace.

The other capital projects for the ward include the rehabilitation of Club Road, and a portion of the Ridge, which has been successfully completed.

An additional allocation of R1-million will see the rehabilitation of 1 300sqm of Basil Hulett get underway in the next week.

Flood-damaged roads such as Colwyn Drive have finally received a budget allocation and project timeframes will be communicated to the community accordingly.

The damage on the N2 at the Umhlali River bridge continues to cause much frustration and chaos along one of KZN’s busiest economic routes.

Through my ongoing engagements with the SA National Road Agency (Sanral), I have been reliably advised that contractors have already been invited to tender, and an appointment should be
concluded in early September.

We are also very excited about the upcoming Sheffield interchange work which we submitted comments on earlier this year.

This project will alleviate considerable volumes of traffic off the P474 and P228.

While an effective road network is critical in driving a local economy, the commuter industry is equally important.

Through a partnership between local businesses and the Ward 22 community, we were able to undertake a complete refurbishment of the commuter shelter on Basil Hulett Drive.

This exciting project has gained much traction and we will be commencing an upgrade of the second one in the next week.

There is no doubt the community of Ward 22 continues to exemplify this year’s Mandela Day theme,

“do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

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