D-Roads and government property tops agenda in Makhuduthamaga
JANE FURSE – Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM)’s leadership met with Limpopo MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, Ernest Rachoene at the council chamber in Jane Furse on Monday.
The meeting is a critical follow-up engagement seeking to address persistent service delivery concerns related to D-Roads and government property management in the main.
Mayor Merah Mahlase, Municipal Manager Ronald Moganedi, Council Speaker Judy Nkgadima, Chief Whip Mosedi Thamaga and senior officials of the department engaged in the session.
Thomas Mashabela, MLM spokesperson, said the issues of unregistered government buildings and unpaid property rates as well as the implementation of D-Roads projects dominated the discussions.
MLM reiterated the need for fast-tracking of key D-Roads projects or devolving some of them to the municipality, technical designs of which have already been completed.
According to the municipality, the D-Roads are essential for rural access and community development and their delay in execution continues to affect service delivery as well as economic mobility.
Also brought to the attention of MEC Rachoene’s attention was numerous public buildings within the municipality that remain unregistered.
It was revealed in the meeting that the aforementioned properties are not being billed for property rates, severely straining the municipality’s revenue base and its capacity to deliver essential services.
Nkgadima and Thamaga emphasised on the importance of accountability and improved intergovernmental coordination.
The MEC commended the municipality for its proactive approach and assured the leadership that the concerns raised were receiving priority attention from his department.
Rachoene announced plans for the initiation of a verification and audit process to address the issue of unregistered public buildings, with the aim to resolving ownership discrepancies and enforcing proper billing.
Furthermore, the MEC highlighted that the department, in coordination with Road Agency Limpopo (RAL), will review the list of D-Roads projects submitted and remove barriers to their implementation.
He reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening collaboration between the provincial and local government structures and praised the municipality for its dedication to advancing service delivery.
Mashabela stated that in order to ensure continued momentum, the meeting agreed on a follow-up engagement soon where progress on both the property audit and D-Roads project implementation will be reviewed.
