May 26, 2006

By Clifford Mogotsi

MOGALE City's new mayor, Koketso Calvin Seerane, is determined to fast track service delivery in the municipality's rural areas.

Speaking about his series of roadshows across the city, which started earlier this month, Seerane said, "It saddens me that in 12 years of democracy, our people in rural areas still don't have proper sanitation and housing."

He had witnessed the conditions in which many rural people were living - there was a lack of adequate housing and infrastructure.

Speaking at one public meeting, Seerane recounted what he had seen: families crammed into congested dwellings, with rooms divided by curtains, and forced to pay high rents to landowners. "We visited plots and found families living in … places that have no electricity or toilets - and poor people at night have to relieve themselves in the nearby field."

The roadshows, which include tours and public meetings, are a way of introducing the mayor and his new committee to Mogale City citizens, as well as discussing the council's Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The meetings ensure that residents are consulted on the plan and their suggestions and comments are used to inform the council of communities' needs and interests.

Seerane has visited Kagiso 1 and 2 (extensions 12 and 14), Swanieville, Munsieville, Azaadville, Rietvallei, Magaliesburg, Muldersdrift, Tarlton, Hekpoort and the suburbs of Mogale City. Issues raised at the various meetings include job creation, housing and service delivery.

The IDP is the outline of the City's principal strategy; it sets guidelines for all municipal departments and is drawn up in consultation with all the City's stakeholders, from councillors and officials to business and residents.

The mayor has pledged to fast track service delivery in Mogale City, particularly in the rural areas. The City plans a 100-day project to tackle urgent issues, such as cleaning up illegal dump sites, tarring roads, speeding up the registration of indigents and providing shelter for those in need.

Projects for 2006-07 include ensuring that the rural areas get municipal services such as waste collection and electricity; the provision of water and sanitation across the municipality; the completion of a new bulk sewer infrastructure; the development of a cemetery; and the provision of housing.

Rural cemeteries on the cards

Land, houses and jobs concern citizens

Roadshows across Mogale City