R460 mill cash injection to attract investors and tourists to Vryheid and surrounds
"AbaQulusi must lead the district to economic revival," he said. "And we are prepared to do anything in our power to revive AbaQulusi..."
“THE role of government is to create a conducive environment for business and tourism to grow…”
This was the opening point of the AbaQulusi Municipality Tourism Awareness and Business Investment Summit which took place at Cecil Emmett Hall on June 22, where AbaQulusi Municipal Manager, Bonga Ntanzi, as MC, welcomed local dignitaries as well as Zululand District Mayor, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi and Zululand District Deputy Mayor, Cllr Mavis Kunene.
Mayor Buthelezi opened his speech with a recollection he shared from his first job in 1999. Gustav Röhrs, who was also present at the summit, representing Vryheid Tourism, was Municipal Manager of AbaQulusi at the time.
“He believed in the youth…”smiles the ZDM Mayor.
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Mayor Buthelezi then pointed out that, in terms of Zululand, while Ulundi is the political centre, AbaQulusi is undoubtedly the economic centre.
“AbaQulusi must lead the district to economic revival,” he said. “And we are prepared to do anything in our power to revive AbaQulusi… AbaQulusi has been through many tough times,” he adds. “but always comes out on top. We will not allow AbaQulusi to fail…”
Discussing the projects that will be carried out in AbaQulusi, Mayor Buthelezi mentioned several promising plans in the proverbial pipelines, including the installation of three new pumps in strategic areas as well as several capital projects to the tune of R460million.
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“I want to see people from AbaQulusi doing the work in AbaQulusi,” he reiterated, regarding the upcoming projects. “This is the way to grow our economy…”
“The greatest asset of AbaQulusi is tourism,” he continued, inviting local businesses and traders to the Business Fair, which took place on Saturday (the following day) – the first of its kind in Vryheid and scheduled to become an annual event, affording locals the opportunity to showcase their business and talents to the community.
AbaQulusi Mayor, Cllr Jerry Sibiya also addressed those present at the summit. He expressed his pride in AbaQulusi after receiving several compliments from tourists to our area over the weekend, including the fact that all of the B&B’s in Vryheid were fully booked over the rugby week and visitors were impressed by how different the town looks.
“Vryheid is becoming a popular tourist destination again,” he quoted them as saying, “if it is clean…”
Legendary runner and Comrades icon, Bruce Fordyce, who was recently in Vryheid, shared the same sentiment with Mayor Sibiya during his time here.
Moving on, Mayor Sibiya discussed several challenges that he and his team at the municipality are facing and working towards overcoming.
“If infrastructure is not there, no one will invest,” he states solemnly. “It is a challenge…”
Mayor Sibiya explained openly and transparently the problems to be dealt with, as well as possible solutions with reference to finances, the Claveshay debacle, land issues and concerns, AbaQulusi’s water woes, the ongoing challenge of trucks and their failure to utilise the truck stop outside of town, and Klipfontein Dam.
He also discussed the imminent availability of training and internships at the municipality. “There is no better place than home,”smiled our Mayor. “It is your town, so please participate.”
Cable theft in Vryheid is a major concern, and Mayor Sibiya points out the detriment of this scourge on the community as well as the municipality.
“In this financial years,” he states, “cable theft in Vryheid has cost the municipality R3million on replacing cables. That money could have been spent on something else. AbaQulusi cannot afford this… Business people and residents must help us fight this.”
In conclusion, Mayor Sibiya ended with, “Vryheid is beautiful. Vryheid is a nice place to stay. I grew up here and I want to die here one day. As Mayor of AbaQulusi, I commit myself to you. I am your servant, not your leader. I am here to serve, not to dictate…”
The floor was opened for comments and questions. However, despite the fact that the event was a business summit, most people appeared to only have complaints about service delivery.
