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Thulamela mayor, Cllr Avhashoni Tshifhango, delivering his budget speech.
News - Date: 06 July 2017
The building of better roads, the providing of decent housing, establishing a good electricity network and building better sports facilities were among the top prioritized projects that the Thulamela municipality speedily want to address.
Thulamela mayor Avhashoni Tshifhango, who delivered the State of the Municipal Address in a packed Thohoyandou Town hall a fortnight ago, said that they will work around the clock to provide better services to the communities.
He tabled a budget of about R884 million. “The budget that I’m presenting today has undergone stringent cost cutting measures to ensure that we only focus on those items that would ensure that we provide the best services to our communities. Departments have been instructed to ensure that every effort is made to cut costs that are not entirely crucial for the completion of projects,” he said.
He said that the budget is a five years’ journey, which will go down in history as work towards advancing service provision to the people. “We have upgraded 25.1 kilometres from gravel to tar roads. We have connected 19 villages with electricity lights in 2015/6, another 19 villages in 2016/17 and this financial year we are planning to connect electricity lights to 25 villages,” he added.
According to Tshifhango, the municipality is proud of the new Tshixwadza Sport Facility and that they are busy upgrading the Makwarela Stadium.
He also said that the contractor is on site busy rectifying the previous mistakes that were done in the Thohoyandou taxi rank and hopefully it will be handed over for utilization in August.
Tshifhango added that the initiative of the mayoral bursary fund gained momentum the past financial year and in the latest budget an amount of R1,7million was made available for deserving students.
He emphasised the municipality’s vision to achieve city status by year 2030. “We want to promote urban regeneration and comprehensive rural development while encouraging local economic development to improve the quality of lives of our people,” he added.
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Photographed before the State of the Municipality address are from left to right the Chief Whip, Cllr Rodgers Tshivhase, Mayor Avhashoni Tshifhango, Mrs Tshifhiwa Tshifhango, Speaker Humbulani Mulovhedzi and the municpal manager, Mr Emmanuel Maluleke.
Some of the traditional leaders who attended the Thulamela State of the Municipality address, Khosi Vho-Nduvheni, ams Thovhele Ratshibvumo II Rambuda.
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