Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) remains focused on its mandate which is to support local municipalities to provide excellent services and development.
During the State of the District Address (SODA) for 2020, District Executive Mayor Cllr Muzi Chirwa made a commitment that GSDM would continue to support local municipalities with service delivery fleet which is needed by the municipalities in the provision of basic services, especially in rural areas.
On 12 August 2020, GSDM lived up to its promises. Seven 10 000lt water tankers amounting to R10.3m were handed over to the local municipalities to help improve the provision of water to communities without access to running portable water particularly amid the corona virus outbreak. Chirwa led the handover event supported by the District Whip of Council Cllr Trevor Nkosi, Member of Mayoral Committee for Infrastructure and Technical Services Cllr Dumisile Nhlengethwa and the acting Municipal Manager Mr Ephraim Thabethe.
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The handover meant that the infrastructure belongs to the seven municipalities and would be the responsibility of the municipalities. Chirwa urged municipalities to take good care of the infrastructure being handed over.
He pleaded with the municipal leaders present to ensure that the water tankers were used for the purpose for which they were purchased for, which is to make people’s lives better. He added that the water tankers are also aimed at helping to fight the Corona Virus outbreak.
“The Corona Virus is real and we all need to make sure that we adhere to the government health protocols in order to curb its spread,” said Councillor Chirwa.
He called on both the political and administrative leadership of the seven local municipalities to remain vigilant in the fight against the spread of the pandemic within the District, that the provision of water must be prioritised in order to ensure that everyone is able to wash hands regularly.
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Leaders from the local municipalities expressed their appreciation for the support received which is anticipated that it will help improve service delivery in the local municipalities.
Chirwa urged everyone to remain committed to the fight against the spread of the Corona Virus by the continuous wearing of face masks, regular washing of hands with soap or alcohol-based sanitisers and observing social distance at all times
