Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has arrived in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape to assess service delivery in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality.
In 2009, local residents expressed their concern about the deteriorating state of Mthatha, a town that was once the economic hub of the former Transkei homeland. Community members have expressed frustration about challenges relating to dilapidated infrastructure such as water, sanitation, roads, electricity and housing, and the need to improve local government management and systems.
Mthatha was subsequently declared a Rapid High Impact Presidential Intervention Node in August last year. The intervention was intended to address the aforementioned infrastructure backlogs and service delivery challenges and fully revitalise Mthatha to its former stature.
The King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality has developed a Sustainable Development Master Plan, articulating its vision for the type of Mthatha that current and future generations should live in come 2030.
The plan spans over 20 years and 280 projects have been identified for implementation over the short, medium and long-term.
The projects have been grouped into categories these: Energy and Waste Management; Water and Sanitation; Human Settlements; Transport and Mobility and Local Economic and Social Development.
The plan further advocates for an integrated approach in implementing critical interventions, especially in water, sanitation, electricity, housing, roads and public nodes.
Zuma this year appointed an Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising ministers, Eastern Cape Premier Noxolo Kiviet, and provincial MECs and mayors to focus intensively on implementing the plan.
Today, the team will report back to the community on how far it has gone in providing services as directed by the President. - BuaNews
