PHOTO: Dave Savides
IT is the duty of residents, via their respective ward councillors, to inform the City of uMhlathuze of their needs.
In this way, issues can be prioritised when it comes to allocation of the annual budget.
That was the message from the City of uMhlathuze’s new Integrated Development Planning (IDP) manager Zodwa Mdlali to a public meeting of the committees of wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 26, held at the civic centre on Friday.
‘The IDP is a single strategic plan that guides all decisions and programmes related to managing and developing the municipality.
‘This includes municipal as well as private sector and provincial programmes and plans,’ said Mdluli.
‘In this context, it is the role of ward committees to facilitate public participation, raise issues about the local ward, link communities and the municipality, and also to participate on behalf of the community in the planning, IDPs, Performance Management System and all budgetary processes.’
Based on the Public Participation Report for 2012/2013, Mdluli listed (not in order) a summary of priority needs requested for all wards:
• Reconstruction and rehabilitation of rural roads
• Vehicle bridges and pedestrian bridges
• Bulk Water Supply and supply of Jojo tanks
• Provision of housing
• Sanitation projects
• Provision of skips
• Electrification and improvement of electricity power in urban areas
• Bus shelters
• Speed humps in busy and high accident roads
• Community halls
• Sport grounds/fields and parks
• Child care facilities (crèches and early childhood development centres)
• Clinics/ mobile clinics/ ambulances.
‘Public meetings for all wards are being advertised and once again it is important for residents to attend and make their needs known,’ said Mdluli.
