ADVERTISEMENT:
News - Date: 20 July 2012
The mayor of the Musina Municipality, Cllr Carol Phiri, tabled a record operational budget of nearly R182 million during an event at the De Beers recreational hall on Friday evening.
The total capital budget is R14 604 000. The budget was presented against the backdrop of a qualified financial report last year. During the speech, Phiri announced a number of projects that her municipality intends to implement during this financial year.
The projects include the construction of the Malale Sports Centre at a cost of R6,2 million, Thusong Centre in Nancefield Extension 8 (R2 million), Madimbo Community Hall (R4,6 million) and the Nancefield Extension 1 Public Park (R1,8 million). She said that the projects would create several jobs for locals.
She also announced tariff increases, which ranged from 6 to 11% on basic services. "We will be providing free water, electricity, refuse removal and sewer services to 2 871 indigent members of the community on a monthly basis. Each beneficiary will receive 6 kilolitres of water, 55 kilowatts of electricity and 100% free refuse removal and sewer services," she added.
She also announced that the municipality, which has not had traffic vehicles of late, is going to purchase four new vehicles that will make officers execute their duties with ease.
Taking stock of her year in office, Phiri acknowledged the backlog of services and of poverty in communities. "We also accept our limitations due to financial constraints. We will confront them boldly and with hope. In harnessing all resources at our disposal, we have to do more with less. We know that hard work and difficult choices lie ahead, but we will do our best to make sure that Musina becomes a better place to stay and invest," she said.
Phiri also warns officials that the time for wasteful, irregular and fruitless expenditure should be history in the municipality. "Any transaction without records will have to be regarded as no transaction. Anyone responsible for the loss of records will be held personally liable," she said.
Phiri also outlined successes and challenges in the municipality. These include several projects that have been completed over the last financial year and the service delivery protests that recently rocked the municipality.
Vhembe's executive mayor, Cllr Tshitereke Matibe, said the district was putting its weight behind the municipality and that they would fully support all initiatives aimed at empowering and making the lives of the people of Musina better.
Khosikhulu Toni Mphephu Ramabulana has also given a thumbs up for the budget. He said the money would be wasteful expenditure if people continued to show their frustrations with service delivery by destroying infrastructure and property owned by the municipality.
Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
Search for a story:
ADVERTISEMENT
The economic conditions in Zimbabwe forced Tanaka Moyo (40) to legally seek greener pastures in Musina. He opted for a unique business plan, selling the wild jujube fruit to make a living. The fruit, called masau in Shona, is better known as mazwilu in Tshivenda.
As the unemployment rate in South Africa continued to rise, a group of women from Makonde village decided to start a community-based project to create job opportunities for themselves. However, it is very difficult to continue with the project without support from the government or the private sector.
At the age of 104, William Masindi Sadiki still has many stories to tell. Some of these are about his experiences during World War II, when he was part of the North Africa campaign. He is one of the few black soldiers from that era still alive, and he proudly pins his war medals on his chest on formal occasions.
The Rivoni School for the Blind in in Njakanjaka village in the Vhembe District has 167 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school was started in 2016 by the Rivoni Society for the Blind, founded in June 1975 at Elim Hospital by late Swiss doctor Erwin Sutter. The society later transferred responsibility for the school to the Department of Education.