The FF Plus will request the Mayor of the Mbombela Local Municipality, which serves Hazyview and White River, among others, Sibusiso Mathonsi, to take action against the officials who failed to attend the scheduled Infrastructure Committee meetings with the residents of the two towns.
The meetings were scheduled for 29 April 2021, in Witrivier and 5 May 2021, in Hazyview respectively, but neither a municipal representative nor the ANC ward councillor showed up. The meetings were convened to discuss the 2021/22 Integrated Development Plan (IDP).
The general decline and terrible condition of municipal infrastructure in White River and Hazyview are unacceptable.
It is of the utmost importance for the Committee to meet and devise plans for managing and developing existing as well as new infrastructure. And yet municipal officials and ANC ward councillors are ignoring any attempts by residents to discuss the financial future of these two towns.
The town’s’ residents frequently have no water supply due to ongoing delays in infrastructure development and expansion. In addition, a lot of drinking water is lost due to water leakages caused by inadequate maintenance and outdated infrastructure.
Municipal roads are not maintained either and it hampers any attempts to market tourism in the two towns. Both towns’ general appearance, with regard to streetlights, parks and sidewalks, need urgent attention.
Local residents deserve to have a local government that prioritises service delivery, the development and maintenance of infrastructure as well as the wellbeing of the people.
The FF Plus is, therefore, calling on the residents of Mbombela to stand up and stand with the FF Plus to send a loud and clear message to the ANC: The decline of municipalities will not be tolerated.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Ken Robertson on FF Plus
