Mayor shares progress made in Region 1

HIGHVELD – Ms Lindi Masina, executive mayor of the Govan Mbeki Municipality’s, progress report revealed some service delivery successes, challenges and proposed solutions for Region 1.

She said out of 14 056 households in Bethal, eMzinoni and local farms, 11 969 have access to potable water.

A backlog of 2 087 households are still without water.

These are residents staying on farms and those who are staying in unproclaimed areas, vacant sites and those who have invaded land.

Ms Masina said the municipality is faced with the problem of old main bulk water pipe lines and reticulation network.

“We are delivering potable water to residents staying in farms twice a week.

“We are drilling boreholes and installing windmills which are expected to be finished by June.”

Ms Masina said they have sealed and tightened the concrete water reservoir in Extension 4 in eMzinoni. “We intend to replace old bulk water pipelines and the reticulation network in the 2015/16 financial year.”

Ms Masina said they will increase the number of communal standpipes in Extension 23 informal settlement, Chris Hani Section, Cow Village, Extension 5, 6 and 10 and Tambo Section.

She said out of the 14 056 households, only 12 103 have access to sanitation.

A backlog of 1953 households have no access to basic sanitation and these are residents staying on farms, unproclaimed stands and vacant stands.

Ms Masina is worried about people vandalising and stealing sewer infrastructure, mainly at pump stations.

She said the sewer infrastructure is old and people continue to throw Pampers, bricks and cloth in the network and manholes.

Ms Masina said they have converted 535 VIP toilets to sewer reticulation network for R 9.4 million in Extension 3, 5 and 8 in eMzinoni.

R20 million was spent on the eMzinoni Wastewater Treatment Plant that was completed in February.

Four sewer pump stations were refurbished in Mark Street, Millan Park, First Street and Cow Village.

“We continue to attend to sewer spillages on the network.

“The civil works contracts entail securing, fencing and lighting of the pump stations in Mark Street, First Street, Cow Village and work on the Millan Park sewer pump stations will begin next month,” said Masina.

She said Bethal and eMzinoni are fully electrified and many of the street and high mast lights were fixed and are maintained.

Ms Masina said the electricity network in Bethal is currently being upgraded and will be finished in June.

“The electricity network in eMzinoni is under constraints because of backyard dwelling and developments taking place.”

She is worried about illegal connections and electricity theft.

Ms Masina said a short-term plan for the winter has been put in place and a long-term plan that is aimed at addressing the upgrading of the network and construction is underway.

“Infill electricity connections are underway in eMzinoni in Ward 22 and 23.”

More than 100 houses in local farms will be connected with electricity in 2014/15 and 2015/16 financial year and other 200 houses will be connected in the 2014/15 financial year.

A plan has been prepared to fix main roads in various wards.

Ms Masina said the road network in the area has reached its design life span.

Altogether 926 low cost houses were built between 2009 and this year.

Eight houses were built through the Premier Legacy Project in eMzinoni and Uitgedacht Farm and 30 houses were built through partnership with Sudorcoal Mine.

An allocation of 200 units has been approved for the 2014/15 financial year for the disabled, child-headed households and pensioners.

Ms Masina is worried about people invading land near Extension 23 and 13 and those staying on stands not registered in their names.

She said Freedom Square residents are refusing to be relocated to a new place.

Ms Masina said they are collecting information and are pre-screening residents in order to verify the qualification status of people who invaded land.

She said they are looking for land for integrated human settlement development.

Individually linked housing subsidies were approved for the relocation of qualifying Freedom Square residents and it is being implemented in phases.