THE City of uMhlathuze was hailed as a ‘champion of service delivery and clean governance’ on Tuesday night when it walked away with the coveted Govan Mbeki award for being the Best Accredited Level 2 municipality.
Hosted by the KZN Department of Human Settlements in Durban, the annual event recognises the best performing contractors, housing projects and municipalities in delivering human settlements for the 2014/15 financial year.
uMhlathuze was able to outdo the eThekwini Metro, Newcastle and KwaDukuza municipalities to scoop the prestigious award for the second consecutive year.
Being an accredited level 2 municipality means the City effectively runs housing projects from inception including planning to stringent budgeting, delivering reports timeously to the Department of Human Settlements and allocations to beneficiaries.
‘We are very proud of what we have been able to achieve consistently,’ City Mayor Cllr Mduduzi Mhlongo told the Zululand Observer on Wednesday.
‘We are able to deliver on time and fulfill promises made to the public.
‘We are aware of the dire need for housing in our City and provision of this service is critical. We have the necessary capacity to run big projects free of any maladministration.
‘We want to assist people from rural communities and improve their living conditions,’ said Mhlongo.
Bond market aim
The City was also second runner-up for the ‘Best Rural Housing Programme with KwaMadlebe being the winning project.
‘There are many residents who have entered the work environment but are not able to enter the bond market.
‘We are therefore trying to build rental units to cater for this huge market in Richards Bay.
‘This would include the Aquadene housing project in Richards Bay,’ said Mhlongo.
The City will now enter the national awards later this year, which is aimed at inculcating excellence within the human settlements sector in delivering quality housing and dignity to South Africans.
@RonelleRamsamy
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