Housing and infrastructure: Endumeni Local Municipality

Sir
I refer to Mr Parkinson’s letter dated December regarding the above.
I thank you for your patriotic acknowledgement of the housing backlog within the Endumeni Local Municipality jurisdiction. Indeed, the poor and those from previously disadvantaged communities are the worst affected in terms of this housing backlog.
Local government legislation prescripts, inter alia, the Municipal Systems act No. 32 of 2000, emphasizes the developmental role of municipalities in social and economic upliftment of communities and the provision of basic services to all our people and specifically the poor and the disadvantaged.
This includes improving the quality of life of the community with specific reference to the poor and other disadvantaged sections of the community.
The prevalent bulk civil infrastructure challenges, including water shortages, are an unfortunate indication of our tragic discriminatory past of neglecting the basic municipal services that serve the needs of all our people beyond racial residential segregation.
The prevalent priority of redressing the imbalances of the past demands that significant incremental responses to the housing backlogs are simultaneous with accelerated bulk civil infrastructure upgrades without any further detriment to the poor and disadvantaged communities.
Working together we can make Endumeni Municipality the best epitome of social and economic upliftment of communities and the provision of basic services to all our people and specifically the poor and the disadvantaged.
T Makhoba
Acting Municipal Manager