Cops keep close eye on IDP meeting
SECURITY was tight at the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) public meeting held in KwaNobuhle last night, where Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip discussed the municipality’s budget and highlighted successes from the 2015-16 financial year. He also addressed issues raised by residents. Metro police and members of the South African Police Service were strategically positioned at the entrance as well as in the Jeff Masemola Hall, where residents of three wards – 42, 43 and 44 – gathered to hear what Trollip had to say.
Flanked by various members of his mayoral committee as well as ward councillors, Trollip said a budget of R10.8-billion was allocated to address issues around the metro.
“It is a fair share of the [provincial] budget allocation for which we are grateful,” he said while highlighting the differences between the municipality’s operational and capital budgets of R1.6-billion and R9.2-billion respectfully.
Before those in attendance were split into groups for each of the three wards present, Trollip highlighted a number of successes for the municipality while also mentioning areas which needed attention.
“We said we wanted to take people out of stressed informal settlements,” he said.
“Our target was 1 200 but we only moved 500. We wanted to link 1 293 houses to the electricity grid but only managed 450.”
This showed poor performance which needed to be addressed, Trollip said.
On the housing backlog, he said 80 000 house needed to be built. In the previous financial year, the municipality intended to build 1 293 but built 1 306.
He said the municipality would strive to make townships look more like suburbs and beautify the city, which included planting trees and paving roads.
After the three groups representing the wards in attendance had conducted their own meetings, Trollip opened the floor to the audience for questions and comments.
A concern raised by a Ward 43 resident, who did not give his name, was rectification of houses in the area.
“There is no more budget for rectification. We are going to have to find our own money in our own budget for rectification,” he said.
Trollip said that by the end of the year the municipality would get rid of all bucket systems, of which there were 30 000.