Major projects huge jobs driver
More than 500 much-needed jobs were created by six Eastern Cape local municipalities that have turned the province into a construction site.
And with the country’s unemployment rate at 26.7%, the jobs that were created by Nyandeni, Sundays River Valley, Raymond Mhlaba, Ndlambe, Port St Johns and Elundini local municipalities, meant thousands of families were able to put food on the table.
The municipalities received a shot in the arm from the Office of the Premier as part of Bhisho’s small towns revitalisation programme. The programme is about changing the face of rural towns and speeding up service delivery.
It mainly focuses on water, sanitation, electrification, and roads infrastructure projects. And of the 540 people that were employed by the municipalities, 258 were youth, 193 adult males, 80 adult females, eight students and one was someone living with a disability.
The Raymond Mhlabo project created 304 valuable jobs for locals. A total of R37.3m has been set aside for the 2018-19 Sundays River Valley projects which include the replacement of water mains, work on the Eon Sewer and Pump Station, upgrading of internal roads in Moses Mabida township, Kirkwood towns, Bergsig and Aqua Park roads.
For these projects, 54 people who had previously been unemployed were employed.
For the Elundini Municipality project, which received a R29.5m financial boost from the OTP, 78 jobs were created.
For the Nyandeni project, 77 Libode and Ngqeleni residents were employed during the upgrading of internal roads and installing high mast lights.
Of the R43.5m, R22m was used to tar 5km of internal streets in Libode. This helped reduce traffic and improved road conditions, meaning motorists will no longer contend with potholes or driving on gravel roads.
A total of R15.5m was used to develop Ngqeleni by paving and tarring 3.9km of internal streets. And with crime being a concern where there are no street lights, the Office of the Premier pumped R6m towards five high mast lights and refurbishment of street lights in the two towns.
The Ndlambe and Port St Johns projects created 19 and 17 jobs respectively.
Eastern Cape director-general Marion Mbina-Mthembu said more jobs would still be created as the provincial government was committed in assisting municipalities develop.
She said the Dr Beyers Naude Local Municipality in Willowmore and Ingquza Hill Municipality in Lusikisiki and Flagstaff would also create jobs as it was also a beneficiary of the project.
Phumulo Masualle said the renewed programme was a priority of priorities which he and MbinaMthembu were championing politically and administratively. “The OTP will continue to work together with affected and interested sector department within the province to ensure success of the project through coordination and collaborations – infrastructure delivery, job creation, skills development and benefit for local business,” the premier said.