The Gauteng Department of Human Settlements has injected over R300 million towards improving the living conditions of Bekkersdal residents, bringing much needed relief to this west rand community.
Speaking at the launch of the Bekkersdal Service Delivery Improvement Plan (SDIP) over on Saturday, Gauteng Human Settlements and COGAT MEC Jacob Mamabolo said that the projects would not only change the outlook of the area but also revitalise the township’s economy. The launch included the sewer network upgrade, cleaning campaign with help of Pikitup (CoJ) and a new secondary school.
Mamabolo said that he was pleased that the sewer upgrade project, which will cost R320 million, was finally launched.
“The sewer that was running down the streets made life difficult for residents as it was a health hazard to the residents. We are responding to an aging infrastructure which is unable to deal with the current situation. This is a important capital investment which will radically transform the lives of residents of Bekkersdal,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo said that a lot of preparatory work for the sewer upgrade had already been done, with the appointed service provider presenting new drawings for the upgrade of the network. “The map will make it easier in the future for the municipality to fix problems. The old apartheid government did not handover maps and drawings to the new government so we had to start afresh. We also expect the project to benefit local people, empower local contractors and revitalise the economy of Bekkersdal,” Mamabolo said.
Mamabolo appealed to the people of Bekkersdal to allow work to begin in the area urged the community to the custodian of these projects.
Commenting on the launching of the cleaning campaign, MEC Mamabolo said they were implementing Minister Pravin Gordhan back to basics strategy of turning municipalities around. MEC Mamabolo said that the Departments of Human Settlements and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs had roped in the City of Johannesburg to assist with the cleaning backlog in Bekkersdal. This as part of cultivating the culture of Gauteng as a city region, with municipalities working together as a unit to leverage off each others’ strengths.
“The City of Johannesburg has brought in 10 compactor trucks to assist the Westonaria Local Municipality with cleaning the area for a period of a year. This initiative will also create jobs for the residents,” Mamabolo said, adding that as part of making Gauteng green the City of Johannesburg will also launch a recycling project in the area as part of further job creation.
MEC Mamabolo, West Rand District Executive Mayor Mpho Nawa and Westonaria Local Municipality Executive Mayor Nonkoliso Tundzi also signed a memorandum of understanding with Sibanye Gold and Gold Fields to support the building of a new school in the area as part of a public and private sector partnership.
Westonaria Local Municipality Executive Mayor Nonkoliso Tundzi was overwhelmed and urged the community to allow the projects to happen peacefully without disruptions. “These projects are going to benefit members of the community socially, economically and in terms of skills and development,” the Executive Mayor said.
Local resident, Lidia Hlatshaneni said that as a community they had lost hope in the government because of many promises, but now they were happy to see different spheres of government in the area launching projects. “MEC Mamabolo promised many things and I hope they all materialise especially the sewer upgrade project,” she said.
Thabang Wesi, Spokesperson of the Greater Westonaria Concerned Residents Association (GWCRA) said that they were happy about the development phase and were now waiting for full implementation of the projects.
“This is one of the commitments shown by Premier David Makhura and MEC Mamabolo. We started working with them before they went into government, and it is heartening to see that they keep to their words and promises,” Wesi said.
This turn-around plan is a product of months of behind-the-scenes engagements between the province and the concerned residents – the Greater Westonaria Concerned Residents Association.
“The launch of this programme is a testament that this administration has adopted an activist character and committed to working with aggrieved communities and finding long lasting solutions” commented MEC Jacob Mamabolo who kick-started and spearheaded engagements with the community leaderships immediately after the new administration took office in May this year.
For more information contact:
Motsamai Motlhaolwa
Cell: 079 897 2240
Kgabane Madiehe
Westonaria Local Municipality
Cell: 081 810 3791
