Joe Gqabi District Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Nomvuyo Mposelwa
Sterkspruit
The Joe Gqabi District Municipality (JDGM) Mayoral Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and Budget Outreach programme concluded today in the Senqu Local Municipality, having began on the 12th of September in the Walter Sisulu Local Municipality.
This outreach meeting, held at the Bunga Town Hall in Sterkspruit, served to present a detailed report on ongoing initiatives to improve basic service delivery within the local municipality, particularly water and sanitation infrastructure.
JGDM Executive Mayor, Councillor (Cllr) Nomvuyo Mposelwa, provided insights into the current financial year and reflected on the municipality’s performance data of the 2024/25 financial year. “Despite challenges, there is notable progress and achievements to be highlighted in our commitment to enhance the quality of life for our communities and sustainable development throughout the district”, she said.
Part of the achievements include exceeding the 1000 new sewer connections district-wide target, with 1240 successful connections, while the Senqu Rural Sanitation Programme targeted 500 households from Wards 2, 8, 10, 11 and 16. A total of 7 small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have participated and over 80 job opportunities have been created from these projects.
The rural water sanitation programme continues in Senqu and has been divided into 7 work packages. Villages set to benefit from this project include Walaza, Ndofela, Rockliff, Hinana, Mzazizini and 30 more communities. Other interventions in implementation include the Hillside borehole refurbishment and a New Trunk and Reticulation Water Mains project for Lady Grey.
Cllr Mposelwa emphasised ongoing efforts to boost local employment, with a district-wide Mass Job Creation EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) that will create 111 job opportunities.
Additional district-wide initiatives including security services, office cleaners and interns have created 132 opportunities. To encourage more involvement in competitive bids, JGDM has embarked on Suppliers’ Day campaigns to provide information to suppliers in an effort to improve their chances of successfully bidding for work with government.
The community was warned to not connect water illegally, as this disrupts water supply and lead to significant water losses through leaks. In addition, acts of vandalism, informal car washes and illegal water carting were noted to pose a challenge in the municipality’s water management and public health systems and must be discouraged.
The programme concluded with Cllr Mposelwa highlighting the municipality’s unwavering commitment to strengthening disaster management and firefighting services, stating that “we have started a process of opening a fire services satellite centre in Sterkspruit with the hope to reduce response times and thereby reduce loss, injuries and fatalities”.
