20 February 2006

By Nozipho Dlamini

Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality is to spend R30-million on tarring roads in New Eersterus in the next four years.

Delivering his state of the city address last week, Executive Mayor Smangaliso Mkhatshwa said the city’s track record in the construction of roads and storm-water projects demonstrated its capability in infrastructure development.

In the past five years, the city has spent R574-million to address roads and storm-water problems. This included the construction and upgrading of 1 094 kilometres of road.

There are 2 300 kilometres of gravel roads in Tshwane, mostly in previously disadvantaged areas. The estimated cost of tarring them is R2,6-billion, with storm-water systems costing another R1,2-billion.

However, the mayor said the municipality had prioritised the situation and had doubled the budget allocation for the 2007/08 financial year in this regard.

He also noted a R530-million investment for the Roodeplaat/Temba bulk water supply scheme that would help to alleviate water shortages for people in the northern areas of the city.

"Since we took over in 2000, Tshwane has provided 110 000 housing opportunities for our communities, of which 30 000 were built directly by the municipality in partnership with the Gauteng and North West housing departments," he Mkhatshwa said.

Furthermore, 80 000 title deeds had been issued to residents who had been denied property rights in urban areas.

The mayor said R44-million had been spent on upgrading some of the 210 sports and recreational facilities it manages, especially those in previously neglected areas.

"This bodes well for our plan to have other facilities as training grounds which could, for example, be in support of Loftus Versveld as a Fifa-accredited venue for some 2010 Soccer World Cup matches," he said.

While much had been achieved, he said, much more remained to be done in the municipality.

 

Source: BuaNews