The FF Plus is opposed to the Mbombela Local Municipality's intention to change several street names in Nelspruit, White River, Hazyview and Barberton while the Municipality is drowning in debt.
During a meeting for interested parties, which took place last month, it was confirmed to opposition parties that the Municipality currently owes Eskom more than R700 million. The FF Plus also verified that the Municipality is owed more than R80 million for water, which points to poor revenue collection.
Moreover, the condition of the Municipality's roads leaves much to be desired. The Municipality cannot even afford to keep its own traffic officials on the road with patrol vehicles.
There is evidence suggesting that the Department of Water and Sanitation is being mismanaged. One example is the ongoing problems with water supply. White River and its surrounding areas were recently affected by these problems for a third time.
The lack of basic service delivery is so serious that residents of Umjindini/Barberton (one of many such towns) are essentially living in human waste seeing as sewage is flowing through their driveways.
Name changes cost millions and the Municipality is in no financial position to spend such funds, especially not while the Municipality is obviously being mismanaged.
No community plagued by mismanaged can justify street name changes while service delivery is poor.
The following street names have been identified to be changed:
Town : Street name
Mbombela/Nelspruit Piet Retief Street
Bester Street
Anderson Street
Brown Street
Ferreira Street
Henshall Street
Old Pretoria Road
Voortrekker Street
White River Danie Joubert Street
Theo Kleynhans Street
Hazyview R40 highway
Tarentaal Street
Stormvoël Street
Barberton Kruger Street
The FF Plus will oppose these intended name changes in every possible way.
