NKANDLA Mayor Arthur Ntuli has committed himself to changing the lives of the people in rural areas.
Speaking to the Zululand Observer at the IFP Nkandla constituency thanksgiving ceremony last week, Ntuli said despite having an inadequate budget, nothing will prevent him and his council from making a difference in people’s lives.
‘As a municipality we pride ourselves in delivering basic services to our people and we are still on course to break the chain of poverty.
‘Even though we may not reach out to all our communities simultaneously, we are making progress,’ said Ntuli.
‘We owe it to the people of Nkandla who chose to vote for a culture of self-reliance, as opposed to the maladministration and corruption we see everywhere in the country.
‘Our area has a population of well over 114 000, of whom 89% are unemployed. Those who are working earn less than R1 600 per month. That’s how serious the situation is here in Nkandla.
‘As a municipality we have an obligation to transform the lives of the people.’
Ntuli said to tackle unemployment head-on, the municipality has set aside more than R1,1-million for youth skills development.
‘We have also assisted students from poor families who wanted to register for tertiary studies to the tune of R300 000.
‘We will provide funding for students who wish to enrol at the newly opened Nkandla TVET College.
The opening of this college will assist us in addressing the skills shortage among the youth. ‘A further R1.3-million for early childhood development was also set aside. Education is a top priority.’
In terms of accelerating service delivery, Ntuli said funding was also invested in infrastructure development projects.
These include a combined investment of more than R6-million for road construction projects from Nkathabaweli to Manzawayo (ward 3), Nkomeziphansi (ward 9) and the Nsuze/Ngomankulu bridge (ward 11).
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