Ward 2 public meeting addresses City of uMhlathuze service delivery challenges

Faced with refuse removal backlogs and growing frustrations of residents, City of uMhlathuze Deputy Mayor Christo Botha remains hopeful operations will soon return to normal.

This as a labour court judgment is awaited relating to strike action by hundreds of uMhlathuze employees affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu).

ALSO READ: WATCH: City of uMhlathuze refuse removal remains suspended

The deputy mayor and Ward 2 councillor hosted a public meeting in Meerensee on Thursday to engage residents on waste management, land and property valuations, and the strike action that has severely impacted service delivery.

He was joined by city officials, including the deputy city managers of city development, community services, corporate services, finance department, and the chief operations officer.

“We engaged residents on the strike action by employees and the contingency plans in place to address the current refuse removal backlog across the city,” said Botha.

The meeting unpacked the additional schedules being put in place to address these challenges.

“The city recently received delivery of new trucks to bolster its fleet and we are expecting the delivery of another truck soon, which should further address any delays.

“We thank residents for their patience at this time, and are hopeful that the strike will be over by Monday and employees will return to work.”

He said, in the meantime, residents are urged to make use of the landfill site in Empangeni.

“The meeting concluded with a Q&A session, allowing residents to voice their concerns directly to city officials. Issues such as water outages, road maintenance and youth development were also raised.”

Don’t have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here:

HAVE YOUR SAY