EThekwini Speaker Councillor Nyawose addressed residents of Wards 48 and 110 at the Greenbury Hall during a community meeting about a waterpipe replacement project.

SERVICE delivery continues to be rolled out in communities. This comes as a waterpipe replacement project is moving swiftly along in Wards 48 and 110. EThekwini Speaker Councillor Thabani Nyawose is currently overseeing Ward 110 after the removal of Councillor Aamir Abdul. The councillor was removed in January by his political party.

The Speaker addressed residents during a meeting at the Greenbury Community Hall on 11 February to update residents from both wards on the waterpipe replacement project. He said according to eThekwini Municipality’s standard operating procedure, whenever there is not a councillor in any ward due to death, dismissal, resignation or for any another reason, the Speaker of the Municipality becomes a caretaker of that ward. “I will be overseeing this ward until the by election to replace the ward councillor. Plans to replace the councillor are already underway,” said Councillor Nyawose.

He was joined at the meeting by Chairperson of the Trading Services Committee Councillor Mdu Nkosi. They will jointly be spearheading the ward stakeholder consultative meetings to ensure that the project continues without interruption. “I don’t want the water project to be delayed as water-related projects are a priority for the Municipality,” said Councillor Nyawose. The project will cost approximately R88 million and will take 18 months to complete.

The project span is 22.5 kilometres with 50% of local labour to be sourced from both wards, to drive employment in the area. This percentage excludes the local businesses that will also be involved in the project. The Speaker urged councillors to hold quarterly community meetings to update residents on developmental progress in their wards. He issued a stern warning to councillors who solely used WhatsApp groups to engage communities on ward issues. Councillor Nkosi commended the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure stability is maintained in Ward 110.

He said no setbacks are anticipated for the waterpipe replacement project amid the removal of the ward councillor. “This is an important project to help address water issues in these wards. I urge residents to be patient and support the project. The co-operation of residents is central in ensuring that the project is completed within the stipulated period, without any interruptions. We are working closely with uMngeni-uThukela Water on waterpipe replacement projects in many areas to improve the bulk potable water supply. We are hard at work to replace water infrastructure,” he said. A Project Liaison Committee, that works closely with the councillor and ward committee, has been nominated. It consists of youth, military veterans, people with disabilities, faith-based organisations, business forums, and more.