BRADLEY Singh, the Ward 35 councillor, has identified a municipal building as the proposed site to house a fully-functional Sizakala Customer Services Centre.

Currently, residents can access two Sizakala Customer Service Centres in uMhlanga, however, both offer a limited range of services.

Now, after meeting with officials from Sizakala, Singh has identified a municipal building on Newport Avenue as the site for a new centre, one that would benefit both Ward 35 and 36.

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Singh said the building next to the post office on Newport Avenue is currently being used by the Parks and Recreation Unit.

“The Sizakala Customer Service Centre is essentially a place where residents can go for assistance on any council-related query. However, the ones in the area do not offer a full range of services. Residents have to travel to Verulam, the Durban CBD, Phoenix and KwaMashu in order to access services. With the proposed fully operational Sizakala Centre, residents will be able to query billing issues, a massive problem in the area, water loss insurance, access credit authorities, revenue, Human Settlements etc.

“I’ve met with officials from Sizakala who have a capital budget to refurbish this particular site. We are going to get it done. The plan is to move the parks unit to the back of the building or another municipal building in the area. There was another site we visited on Twilight Drive, however, this building on Newport Avenue is centralised, making it easier for residents from both wards to access. The site also has ample parking space for residents to access. This will benefit both wards and help residents query their municipal bills,” he said.

His comments were echoed by Ward 36 councillor Heinz de Boer.

“As Bradley has pointed out, the area does not have a fully functional Sizakala Customer Services Centre. This proposal will be beneficial to both wards especially as the billing system is such a mess. Every single day we receive emails about billing issues; I had a resident sitting with an R80 000 water bill who was beside herself with worry. If residents visit any of the Sizakala Centres in uMhlanga they’ll notice very few services available. What we need is consultants that can deal with residents one on one,” he said.

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