Grahamstown's collapsing infrastructure is mirrored by administrative troubles in the department responsible for managing it.
Grahamstown's collapsing infrastructure is mirrored by administrative troubles in the department responsible for managing it.
Makana Municipality's Technical and Infrastructure directorate has been ordered to outsource staff to carry out the mammoth task of repairing and maintaining the city's decaying infrastructure.
The concerns raised in a recent Infrastructural Development portfolio committee meeting came amid a renewed spate of burst water pipes, massive sewage leaks and ongoing complaints about the poor condition of roads in all parts of Makana.
The meeting's chair, Councillor Nomhle Gaga, suggested much of the problem was due to the fact that Makana cannot retain staff.
"Town planning has no one, as one of the town planners is leaving us, another one is on long sick leave and another employee in that section is on suspension," said Gaga.
A decision was taken by the committee to outsource staff for town planning, and ask for help from the provincial government.
One of the town planners, Simphiwe Mnweba, had resigned, but stayed on because there was no one else in the department.
The deputy director of town planning, Renier van der Merwe, is on long sick leave.
Meanwhile, the committee again expressed concern about failure to spend the Municipal Infrastructure Grant.
"This is a service-delivery directorate and we should not have officials sitting in meetings: they must go out there," said Gaga.
The directorate has since employed a deputy director for Infrastructure, Mzwamadoda Qalaba. Director Thembinkosi Myalato said he would advertise the new vacancies.
