The township of iRhini is long overdue for an upgrade and extensive construction in the townships started in June this year.
The township of iRhini is long overdue for an upgrade and extensive construction in the townships started in June this year.
The project is known as the Quick Wins Projects, which was identified by Makana Municipality as a way to facilitate, accomplish and utilise the funds given to the municipality to do works that will revamp the township and the community as a whole.
The approved constructions include: Egazini Memorial, the upgrading of the Mandela Street taxi route, revamping the Raglan Road/Albert street intersection, building a recreational park and a Makana local economic development strategy.
These all have been grouped together and packaged as one project pertaining to the construction of pavements along Mandela Street taxi route, says Willie van Jaarsveld, a contractor from Khula Nathi Construction who is overseeing the project. Van Jaarsveld said that street lights will also be installed in key areas including the Mandela Street taxi route. The contract was assigned to Edison Performance Electrical and Van Jaarsveld says that the construction process is expected to be finished within the next eight months.
All these projects are supported by the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG). They also plan on providing the municipality with technical assistance and financial capital to develop these project proposals and property developments. Thandy Matebese, Makana Municipality spokesperson, says the NDPG has provided R93-million for the implementation of five Quick Wins projects. According to the progress report the project team is composed of: Riana Meiring of the NDPG, the consultants, Izizwe Engineers, Tim Hewitt from Coleman Architects and electrical engineers from Nuzuza and Associates.
When Grocott’s Mail asked some of the local township residents about the construction, most residents commented that they do not know what the construction is for. One resident, Khanyiswa Rwexu, said, "I don’t know what the construction is about, but I have seen people digging." But she said that it was a good idea for the municipality to be improving the quality of life of residents in the targeted areas. Another resident, Nokuzola Fatyi, had similar views, "They are doing a good job- this will minimise the number of accidents that happen in the area and also is some kind of a way create jobs for residents in the area."
