Illegal dumping a problem

SIPHELELE NDZAMELA

WARD 8 councillor Thembani Mazana ensured that the committee meeting went smoothly and got straight down to business at Jauka Hall last week.

Roads and speed humps

Budgets have not yet been allocated but the municipality wants to start with the most dangerous roads first so that they can be completed before December.

Maintenance of street lights

The company that was granted the tender to work on street lights was Manelec Services. Later it was changed due to the fact that it had not been performing the recommended tasks.

The lights stopped working between June and July and the tender was issued to Ndlambe Electrical who is currently working on the lights.

But due to internal problems that arose and a stolen computer, there was a delay in the process.

A committee member suggested that the municipality should try and monitor the contractors who are doing the job to ensure that the job is done correctly.

Maintenance of graveyards

The cleaning of graveyards is in progress and the municipality plans to do more.

Corporate services director Lazola Maneli said there had been discussions to flatten and trim the heaps in order to make it easier for the grass cutting tractor to do the job quickly and more effectively.

Maneli also suggested that the community should consider cremation as land is becoming scarcer.

A committee member pointed out the sensitivity of this issue and proposed that the municipality should consult the community in the decision making.

To ensure that councillors understood this process Maneli proposed that she would do a presentation on this issue and bring a service provider that would assist and the guidelines for this process.

Illegal dumping

The biggest problem is that the more the municipality cleans, the more people dump illegally. In some areas the matters have been attended to immediately but dumping of cut tree branches on the side of the road sides is becoming a norm.

Grading and graving of streets

The municipality has a programme that states when the grader will be in Port Alfred to start in the recommended places, and also in Bathurst.

Consent to erect a community facility

An application to erect a community facility on Joe Slovo Street and Ngongela Street, Nkwenkwezi in Port Alfred was received by the municipality and they are in full support of it.

However it was stated in the meeting that this matter will require legal documents that will bind families party to this agreement of joining two houses into one.

New Year's Day

The municipality and the SAPS have been working closely together in trying to ensure that New Year's Day access to the beach is well controlled.

Mazana told the committee that there will be no restrictions of people going into the beach area but they will make sure that once the parking areas are filled up then no more vehicles will be allowed access.

Liquor will be allowed, but not on the beach itself.

Visitors will also be allowed to play their music but it should not be played loudly, he said.