EMLM Mayor delivers SOMA address
GROBLERSDAL
The Mayor of Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM), Cllr David Tladi, delivered the State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) at the Groblersdal Rugby Stadium on Thursday 24 July 2025.
Tladi’s address highlighted the municipality’s achievements and challenges during the 2024/2025 financial year and outlined key priorities for the 2025/2026 financial year.
Outlining the SOMA, Tladi stated that the municipality made significant strides in delivering on its service delivery promises, highlighting achievements in road construction, electrification, waste management, and community safety.
“We are proud of the progress we have made in delivering basic services to our communities. We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver on our promises and improve the quality of life for all our residents,” he said.
Tladi indicated that one of the key areas of focus for the municipality has been road construction.
During the 2024/2025 financial year, the municipality constructed and upgraded several road projects, including the upgrading of a 3.5km access road in Malaeneng A Ntwane and storm-water control, and the construction of a 5.2km Mokumong access road to Marateng Taxi Rank and storm-water control.
“These projects have improved accessibility and mobility for residents and have created job opportunities for local communities,” Tladi said.
The municipality has also made significant progress in electrification projects. During the 2024/2025 financial year, the municipality implemented several electrification projects, including the electrification of 212 households in Magukubjane in EMLM Ward 18 and the electrification of 400 households in Masakaneng Portion 69 EMLM Ward 14.
“The municipality has also completed and approved five electrification project designs for implementation in the 2025/2026 financial year,” Tladi informed.
He added that in terms of waste management, the municipality provides weekly refuse removal services using the kerbside method for households in Motetema, Hlogotlou, Groblersdal, Roossenekal, Elandsdoorn, and Walter Sisulu.
“The municipality has also created 67 job opportunities for members of the community through its waste management initiatives,” he said.
According to Mayor Tladi, the municipality’s CCTV monitoring system has also contributed to a significant reduction in reported incidents, leading to the arrest of 121 individuals and the recovery of 100 stolen automobiles.
“Our partnership with the police has been instrumental in these successes. We are committed to ensuring the safety and security of our residents, and we will continue to work with SAPS to achieve this goal,” he said.
Tladi stated that the municipality has also planned several projects for the 2025/2026 financial year, including the upgrading of Waalkraal access road and storm-water control, electrification of Mantronmbi, Luckau, Maganagobushwa, Ntswelemotse, Oorlog, Lusaka, Zaaiplaas Police Station and Doorom.
“We are excited about the future of our municipality and the impact that these projects will have on the lives of our residents. We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver on our promises and improve the quality of life for all our residents,” he committed.
Tladi said all-in-all, five road projects were constructed using the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding, with one project completed and the others overlapping to the subsequent financial year.
“The municipality re-gravelled 65km of internal roads and strengthened its maintenance team with new yellow machinery and fleet,” he said.
However, Tladi acknowledged that the municipality is facing several challenges, with one of them being the Groblersdal Landfill project brought to a halt due to project design issues and will be deferred to the 2025/2026 financial year for implementation.
Other notable challenge mentioned by Tladi is the 4.8% backlog in provision of electricity to about 3837 households.
“We are proud of the progress we have made in delivering basic services to our communities. We will continue to work tirelessly to deliver on our promises and improve the quality of life for all our residents,” he said.
