Provincial budget goes to Nongoma
Nongoma multi-million rand town revamp on track
KWAZULU-NATAL MEC for Finance, Ina Cronjé, addressed the local business sector on the Nongoma multi-million rand town revamp at a business breakfast meeting at the Nongoma Inn.
The meeting was part of Cronjé’s public budget consultation roadshows.
She engaged with the people and business fraternity of Nongoma after they had raised concerns about the dilapidated state of the Nongoma town.
The business sector had complained that it was becoming difficult to operate owing to a number of problems.
The Provincial Treasury, through a panel of infrastructure experts, intervened and appointed LTE Consulting as a project management support unit to build capacity and assist the municipality with Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant projects.
Cronjé said R4-million had been allocated towards the initiative.
‘We will always assist municipalities that need our intervention to unlock infrastructure projects,’ said the MEC.
‘We are happy to announce that the road upgrade in town is nearing completion, as is the bus and taxi rank construction project.
Nongoma Mayor, Cllr Jeremiah Bhekumthetho Mavundla, commended the Provincial Treasury for its intervention.
‘We have witnessed the (Treasury) Crack Team’s interventions driving development to another level. Even Satan cannot stop us from completing these projects,’ said Mavundla.
During the meeting, Cronjé and Magagula heard that some businesses were affected negatively by late payment by some government departments.
Magagula asked the businesses to forward details of such payments so that he could follow up.
He emphasised that the provincial government had committed itself to pay service providers within 30 days after the receipt of an invoice.
Regular power outages were among the other major concerns raised, with business owners pointing out that they are losing a lot of money.
