Municipalities receive R4 million grant from Cogta
Zikalala said the R4 million will be used in 12 areas within the municipalities of Umzumbe and Umuziwabantu.
Umzumbe Municipality and Umuziwabantu Municipality received a R4 million cash injection from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) for the building of hand pumps and the drilling of boreholes.
This was revealed by KZN Cogta MEC, Sihle Zikalala who conducted the switch-on of the Siphofu Electrification project in Umzumbe Municipality on Friday last week.
Zikalala said the R4 million will be used in 12 areas within the municipalities of Umzumbe and Umuziwabantu.
He added that over 334 households in Ward 12 under Umzumbe Municipality now have electricity in their homes.
The MEC said the switch-on of the project means that Ward 12 residents will now be on the grid as consumers of electricity.
Also, Zikalala visited Ward 8 in Umzumbe Municipality to officially open the Mgayi production borehole project.
He said as the provincial government, they are committed to expanding access to electricity and water for rural communities.
He added that the projects were funded by Cogta, saying that they are part of efforts by the provincial government to expand access to water and electricity in the hinterlands of the Ugu District.
“The investment in electrical infrastructure in rural communities brings positive socio-economic benefits as it allows communities to have access to the modern-day conveniences that are provided by electricity. School-going children no longer have to utilise candlelight to do their homework and those that have to prepare food no longer have to rely solely on firewood, they can now use electric stoves,” said Zikalala.
He added that as Cogta, they continue to execute their constitutional mandate of supporting municipalities through several measures which include grant transfers for special projects that deliver basic services to communities such as water and electricity.
“The borehole we commissioned in KwaMgayi forms part of the projects funded by the R4 million grant. This is a tangible demonstration of the provincial government’s commitment to dealing with the water crisis facing communities within the Ugu District,” said Zikalala.
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