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Okhahlamba Local Municipality
MUNICIPAL NEWS
Okhahlamba Local Municipality
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Clean air, clean rivers and a clean audit
South Africa has a myriad of pockets of excellence situated throughout the country – some of which are less well-known than others. Nestled in the foothills close to the Free State and Lesotho borders and in the shadow of the northern Drakensberg Mountains is a serene local municipality that not only has clean air – it also boasts a clean audit, significantly for five years in a row.
The Okhahlamba Local Municipality comprises of privately owned commercial farmland, small-holdings, three tribal authority areas and the urban areas of Bergville, Winterton, Cathkin and Geluksberg. The seat of government is Bergville. Interestingly, a retired sea captain founded this quaint town in 1897. Barely two years later the Anglo Boer War broke out and the area was caught up in the skirmishes between the Boers and the British soldiers. The British built a blockhouse in the settlement and remarkably this blockhouse is still standing -the only blockhouse left in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. The area is redolent with cultural and historical significance and attracts many tourists. Whilst Bergville developed as a trading and commercial centre, servicing the cattle ranching and agricultural industries. The area is blessed with some of the most majestic and picturesque mountain sceneries in Africa.
Approximately 50 km from Bergville is the Royal National Park where the gorgeous aesthetics of the Amphitheatre are to be found. This is a rock wall with a dramatic cliff face approximately five kilometers in length and 500 meters high.
Above the Amphitheatre, the Mountaux Sources peak soars into the sky creating the source of the Orange River that meanders through South Africa spilling into the Atlantic Ocean on the border of South Africa and Namibia. Completing this awe-inspiring natural water feature is the source of the Tugela River also originating from this peak. As
the Tugela cascades down the slopes a spectacular waterfall unfolds the combined total drop of its five distinct free-leaping falls is 948 m and it is accepted as the world’s second-tallest waterfall.
The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park is also to be found within this local municipality, containing many caves and rock shelters and the most concentrated group of paintings in Africa painted by the Khoi San over a period of 4 000 years.
These rock paintings, depicting animals and human beings, representing the spiritual life of the Khoi-San, are of outstanding quality and are well preserved. Due to its rich cultural heritage and historical significance, the area was declared a UNESCO heritage site in 2000. From the biggest to the smallest the Okhahlamba Local Municipality also boasts of having the smallest church in the world. This is the Llanduff Oratory accommodating all of eight worshippers at a time. This unique local municipality attracts more that 500 000 tourists annually, making tourism an important industry. This growing industry has resulted in the municipality sourcing financial resources that will be utilised for further development. One of the most exciting projects in this regard is the construction of a cable car to rival that of the cableway to Table Mountain.
MUNICIPAL NEWS
Newcastle Local Municipality
Meet the “hands on” Mayor
In a recent message to the residents of Newcastle Local Municipality the mayor, Dr. Ntuthuko Mahlaba, assured the different communities that he will be conducting “aggressive” site visits in the next few months to ensure that all the various projects undertaken by the municipality will be completed on schedule.
“This year we commemorate, celebrate and reflect on the 20-year journey of Local Government Transformation. Local government is a pivotal cornerstone through which we can accelerate service delivery, create a dignified life for all, empower communities to be self-sufficient and restore our people’s hope for a better life,” said mayor Mahlaba. Effects of the Coronavirus
The mayor was confident that the municipality would intensify its efforts to improve service delivery to all communities. He said, “ As a service delivery orientated institution, we strive to continuously ignite the zeal to serve the electorate. The municipality remains committed to produce an inimitable workforce which boasts of being progressive, vibrant and innovative”
In reference to the effects of the coronavirus on the residents he somberly but encouragingly intimated “Life as we know it is no longer the same as the Coronavirus continues to reshape our lives and also rob us of our loved ones. We continue to brave this invisible enemy and weather a storm whose end is fast approaching. In the spirit of goodwill and camaraderie, Newcastle Local Municipality wishes to send words of encouragement to all who have lost loved ones to Coronavirus.
The ultimate lesson that we’ve all learnt from COVID 19 is that we are all in this together as humanity. We have adapted to a new life and we’ve made it work. As we reflect on our achievement and challenges in the last 20-years of local government, let us be cognizant that this government has improved lives for the better and our pledge is to never cease doing so,” Mahlaba stated. Service Delivery The mayor pledged further that the municipality would be visiting wards that need the immediate attention of the municipality and that he will be interacting with residents across the municipality with the aim of finding out for himself what needs to be done to improve service delivery.
Dr. Ntuthuko Mahlaba
