The Executive Mayor of Fezile Dabi District Municipality Cllr Moeketsi Moshodi tabled his 2015/16 budget at Orangeville in Metsimaholo. The Executive Mayor announced that this year’s budget amount to just over R 176 Million.

Executive Mayor spoke with pride about the remarkable progress that has been made by Municipalities in this district during this term of office. ‘’We are indeed very proud that as ANC led Municipalities in this district, by 2011 already we improved the number of people living in formal dwellings by 83%, compared to 63% in 1996.

Access to electricity as source of energy in our district has increased above 90.8% compared to 80.4% in 2001 and 52.9% in 1996. Access to piped water has increased to 91.5% in 2011, compared to 84% 2001 and 77.2% in 1996.

Refuse removal by municipalities has increased by 83% in 2011, compared to 70.6% in 2001, and 66.7% in 1996. Access to toilet facilities has increased to 80.3% in 2011, compared to 62, 7% in 2001, and 54.2% in 1996”.

Moshodi also indicated that the partnership with Rand Water foundation is beginning to produce positive results and creating employment for our people in Ngwathe Local Municipality. This was indeed evidence of a working Private Public Partnership relationship.

Fezile Dabi was in the process of reviewing the current business plan to address key issues such as structures, budget, commodities, employment and funding mobilisation. Twenty three temporary jobs have been created and relevant equipment has been procured that include wheelbarrows, spades, and many others.

“We are indeed elated that our youth are beginning to get the necessary skills in hydro phonic-agriculture, and that opportunities are been created to sell these products to various vegetable markets in and around Johannesburg.

One million rand was spent this financial year on this project and additional two million is required for the construction of administration block, which includes the ablution block, training centre and a storeroom. This project will in the next four years create more than one hundred and fifty full time jobs for the community of Ngwathe especially in Koppies”.

The Mayor also highlighted that Fezile Dabi District Municipality has assisted many learners with bursaries registration to assist them to graduate with degrees so that they can come back and assist this government in speeding up the process of development in our district.

“Even though education is not our core function as the Municipality, but we must all remember that it is only the African National Congress Manifesto that has placed education as the number one priority.  Education remain the only tool that can liberate our people from the three enemies of our people, which is poverty, unemployment and inequality. That is the reason we are budgeting R 1.5 Million for bursaries this financial year, said Moshodi.

Various projects aimed at assisting to speed up service delivery in various Local Municipalities  has been successfully completed and according to Moshodi, these were very important projects whose objective was to ensure acceleration of service delivery and to improve the lives of our people.

In order to realise a sustained impact on growth and household services, both public and private sectors must play important roles in building infrastructure, including bulk infrastructure.

Fezile Dabi District Municipality has in this term of office spent over R190 Million on infrastructure projects in all the four local municipalities.

“We are indeed proud that we have completed number of very important projects across the four Local Municipalities, including the installation of new outfall sewer line between Constantia pump station and sewerage treatment works in Kroonstad Moqhaka Local Municipality.

The Sewer reticulation and toilet structures in Qalabothja in Mafube Local Municipality, as part of bucket eradication programme in our district.

The EPWP Project in Ngwathe Local Municipality as well as paving in Edenville.  The refurbishment of the sewer pump station in Metsimaholo local Municipality, and the upgrading of Deneysville resort.

In Mafube Local Municipality the project of upgrading of outfall sewer in Namahadi extension twenty three has been successfully completed, about R 3.2 Million has been used for this project. The building of a fire station in Mafube has also been completed, close to R 4 Million has been used for building of this fire station.

The refurbishment of Qalabotjha Stadium has been completed and about R 2 Million was spent on this project. Thank you very much to the National lottery for their sponsorship and support.

The refurbishment of electrical network in Vredefort, Ngwathe local municipality has also been completed, about R 1 million has been used for this project. Tumahole storm water canals which created more than forty five jobs in that community has been completed, about R 4.6 Million has been used for this project.

The Kruis Street project in Parys has been successfully completed and about R 10 Million has been used for this purpose. The Grens Project in Parys is eighty percent complete, and by end of next month it will be handed over to the Mayor of Ngwathe Local Municipality.

We are spending about R 10 Million on this project. Electrification of Edenville project has been completed successfully and handed to the Mayor.

In Moqhaka Local Municipality the project of the installation of new outfall sewer line between Constantia pump station and sewerage treatment works has been completed, about R7.8 Million  has been used for this project.

The Executive Mayor thanked all the people of Fezile Dabi District Municipality for the opportunity that was given to him to lead this Municipality.

“I will always be grateful for the opportunity and the honour that was given to me to lead this very progressive and service delivery driven organisation, my proudest moment will be that for four years in a row we have been able to obtain unqualified audit report as an indication that we are committed to clean financial management and good governance’’.