EMLM warns on land grabs
Pressing issues dealt with at council meeting
CELLPHONE towers, the illegal occupation of land and tampering with electricity meters were some of the main issues raised in the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) council meeting on Wednesday.
The EMLM used the meeting to issue a stern warning to people illegally occupying land that offenders would be dealt with.
This follows after the illegal occupation of land in Ezibeleni, with the plots apparently handed out by unknown persons.
In a council meeting yesterday, executive mayor Lindiwe Gunuza Nkwentsha said the council “had never decided that any land must be given or be for sale in Ezibeleni.
“Whoever gets land illegally, it will be taken (sic). Whoever puts up a shack it will be destroyed, that land will be taken and you will be arrested for doing that. There is no land that is ready to be put up for sale, we should find land and rezone it which will help us with increasing the rates.”
The leasing of land should also be investigated.
The council approved recommendations that an amnesty period of two months be provided to persons who had tampered with pre-paid electricity meters on condition that the tampered meters be replaced at no charge and beneficiaries start paying for power with immediate effect.
The acting chief financial officer Estelle Tylali is set to work out the details of the proposed amnesty and report back to council.
In a brief report tabled before council, it was indicated EMLM was suffering “huge” electricity losses, mainly due to tampering with pre-paid meters.
An earlier campaign to remove meters that had been tampered with yielded positive results, but council heard that municipal technicians were now being intimidated and prevented from
The replacement of tampered meters would be coupled with a period of amnesty
inspecting and/or removing meters.
It was then decided that the replacement of tampered meters would be coupled with a period of amnesty against prosecution or action by the local authority.
Good news for Komani residents would be the proposed placement of additional cellphone towers in Komani – in Factory Road, Livingstone Road and Drakensberg Road – by Client Star Towers.
This would serve to accommodate the increase in cellphone users and users of data on smartphones.
With the applications approved by the department of economic development, environmental affairs and tourism in terms of
environmental appeal, the South African Civil Aviation Authority would also need to give approval.
The council indicated it would be a good idea for the towers to be placed on council property for revenue.
The proposal and its recommendations on Land Use Scheme requirements and advertisement for objections were approved.
A contentious issue under discussion was contractors, tasked with construction and patching of potholes, wanting more money during the project.
Gunuza Nkwentsha said construction companies wanting more money than the initial quote should be held accountable and an inquiry made into the spending.
Acting director of technical services Ayanda Gaji said requests of more than 20% of the original amount were sent to the mayoral committee for approval.
“However, when quotations are brought forward for a tender, it normally is based on the amount of money needed for the job to be completed which is based on research done at that moment.”
DA councillor Zuko Mandile said while the time period since the quote had to be taken into account in terms of costs, some escalations were around 100%, which were unacceptable.
The public and the media were then asked to leave the meeting for in-council discussions at about 1pm. By 4.30pm, the meeting remained closed.
It is however believed that the motion of no confidence in Gunuza Nkwentsha and council speaker Mzoxolo Peter, which have been raised by the DA and the United Front, were due to be discussed during the closed session.
The outcome was not known.