New bylaw enforcement officer welcomed

After an extended period of the bylaw enforcement officer position being open at Ndlambe Municipality, it is good news to hear that the position has finally been filled as of April.

The enforcement of our bylaws are crucial for the effective compliance and management of our town.

We are particularly excited about this as we had raised the issue of the sudden increase in street vendors along Main Street, outside the BUCO building and entrance to Preston’s Liquor Store.

We reviewed the bylaws relating to street vendors and noted that these new vendors are not complying with them.

Ndlambe municipality has acknowledged our concerns and advised that the new officer shall be informed accordingly.

We are sure it will take a bit of time for the new officer to find their feet and we wish him/her all the best.

We are all here to work together to build a better Port Alfred.

The bylaws can be found on Ndlambe’s website (www.ndlambe.gov.za) under the Resources Section, for interested parties.

On March 29, our chair Dawie van Wyk and vice-chair Lindsay Burrow attended the Ndlambe council meeting.

There were a variety of issues discussed and debated. We are concerned with a few issues raised and are doing further research on these.

One aspect we noted was that there are a variety of approved projects which have been budgeted for going forward until 2025.

It is a pity to see a great deal of investment going into new projects and very little investment allocated for the maintenance of existing infrastructure, such as improvements to existing roads which are in a deteriorating state.

The issue of overgrown plots and derelict, abandoned and neglected properties around various areas has once again been raised on various platforms.

This is an issue which is high on the agenda for PARRA as we believe that besides being unsightly and attracting vermin and so forth, it also seriously affects neighbouring property values and investor impressions around town.

Please note that we are compiling a list of these properties which have been reported.

However, we ask all residents that should there be a plot or property near you that has been left unattended, that it please be reported to Georgina, the customer care agent at Ndlambe Municipality.

Please include the address and as many details as possible to motivate the issues.

Emails can be sent to gnkombisa@ndlambe.gov.za

We have our first community project in the pipeline, which we are very excited about.

To undertake any projects in a public space, full municipal approval is required, otherwise there can be liability issues for us.

We are therefore grateful for the prompt written approval from council on our proposed project. Watch this space!

We are working hard for all our residents and ratepayers.

If you would like to support us, please consider joining PARRA.

We need funding, support, skills and involvement from the diverse communities which fall within our geographical area.

So if you want to be part of the solution and live, own, work or rent in Port Alfred, Nemato, Station Hill or Thorn Hill, please get hold of us.

Membership Forms can be found on our website (www.parra.org.za).

Join us and be part of helping us work towards building a better Port Alfred together.