Mnquma Local Municipality executive mayor, Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa, has hailed the construction of a new office building for the municipality as a sign of its unwavering commitment to enhance effective rollout of service delivery to its communities.
Manxila-Nkamisa made the remarks during the sod-turning ceremony at the site where the municipal office precinct will be erected.
The municipality has appointed Transtruct to oversee the construction of the double storey office, which will be situated between Carnegie Street and the Butterworth Christian Centre (old Cinema building).
She further urged municipal citizens to be patient with the inconvenience that might occur during the construction phase, and called on communities to protect the facility from acts of vandalism or theft which she said has the potential to delay the project.
The construction project will culminate in a fully-fledged office precinct which will lead to the centralisation of four municipal directorates, which are currently spread all over town, under one roof.
The move is also expected to reduce the turnaround times for service delivery-related complaints for the people of Mnquma.
The municipality has allocated R184 million for the construction project, which comes from the municipality’s own revenue generation stream that has been attributed to the co-operation of ratepayers who have heeded the institution’s call for payment of rates for services rendered.
The municipality has also ensured that 30 percent of the project, which is expected to take two years to complete, is allocated to local SMMEs.
A minimum of 50 jobs will also be created at the start of the construction.
The new structure will feature a modern 200-seat council chamber, which comes with a gallery for guests and members of the public, a storage facility, and yellow fleet yard, and car park, among other improvements.
The office precinct is expected to save taxpayers money, as there will no longer be a need to rent or hire outside premises as is currently the case.
The municipality has assured the public that the relocation will not affect its mandate to deliver basic and decent services to its people, as it has put measures in place to minimise challenges which may arise during the construction period.
