The Newcastle Municipality has hit the ground running in its commitment towards ensuring visible and accelerated service delivery in the town and have set up an internal Service Delivery Task Team comprising all departments that form part of the engine that drives service delivery to the communities they serve.
At present, the forum has made commendable strides towards tackling sewage concerns that have continued to haunt Newcastle.
The Technical Department, led by the Municipal Accounting Officer, Zamani Mcineka, recently gathered resources to swiftly respond to the sewage woes behind the Grace Community Church which is situated on Gemsbok Street in Hutten Heights.
Ward Councillor, Bertie Meiring, said that the problem was a result of a collapsed pipe and sewage not being able to flow properly. The major pipe replacement project attempts to put a permanent end to the sewage challenge that has been a great source of frustration for residents of Hutten Heights, Bird Street, Voortrekker Street, Memel Road, Sutherland Street, Trim Park, Finnermore Street, Jenkyn Street and businesses around Allen Street and Newcastle Corner.
The Municipal Manager also conducted a routine site visit to inspect the construction progress of the main pipeline that pumps sewage from the Ayliff Pump Station to the Ncandu Pump Station.
“As the Newcastle Municipality, we have committed to addressing all sewer spillage challenges that have persisted in plaguing our town. The municipality has earmarked the issue of the town’s ageing infrastructure as a key priority project for the 2023/24 IDP,” said Mcineka.
While the municipality remains steadfast on tackling service delivery related challenges, a functional municipality depends on the payment of residents’ utility bills. To ease the financial load, the municipality has granted customers a 50% write-off on debt older than five years and a range of other affordable incentive schemes on property rates.
The municipal incentive schemes cater to the following groups:
– Indigent persons;
– Pensioners; and
– Low income households.
The municipality said that it continues to prioritise basic public service delivery and encourages customers to play their role by making affordable payment arrangements on their municipal service rates.
