MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Mossel Bay Municipality's manager of integrated development planning (IDP), George van der Westhuizen called on the various government departments to use the annual public participation meetings on the IDP to engage first hand with communities to establish their needs at grassroots level for service delivery.
He spoke on Mossel Bay's IDP at a first of its kind representative forum for integrated development planning, budgeting and performance management hosted by the Eden District Municipality in Mossel Bay this past week.
"Intergovernmental planning, project and programme identification and prioritisation may and needs to be strengthened through the IDP process. Furthermore, municipal IDPs should form the backbone of provincial planning and resource allocation," he added.
Developmental challenges
Van der Westhuizen listed some of the developmental challenges stymying development in the greater Mossel Bay area as the rapid expansion of dwellings in informal settlements and in backyards places a burden on the municipality to provide infrastructure for basic services.
Added to that is the rapid invasion of municipal and private land and the need for the acquisition of private and or state land for human settlement development. The proliferation of illegal electricity connections threaten lives and result in revenue loss.
Furthermore, the ageing main electrical, sewerage and water network infrastructure demands urgent replacement before complete deterioration.
The worrisome condition of two major provincial roads stifles development.
Planing for the Louis Fourie Road upgrading is in an advanced stage for certain intersections as well as the improvement of pedestrian mobility and traffic flow. However, there is no indication of available funding or specific timeframes for the project to commence.
In Great Brak River the upgrading of Long Road will have a major impact on business development, he said.
The delay in implementation of the Regional Landfill Site results in a planning conundrum, exacerbated by illegal dumping and vandalism of municipal infrastructure. Furthermore, the excessive cost to rehabilitate waste transfer stations is prohibitive.
Capital expenditure
Several capital expenditure projects are planned and approved for the 2018/19 financial year, among which 21.6% of the capital budget on sewage, 19.7% on water, 16.1% on electricity and 19.8% on streets and storm water will be spent. Expenditure of 2.2% will be for sport and recreation. The bulk of the major projects relate to expenditure on water infrastructure, sewage, electricity and waste infrastructure.
Local economic development
Mossel Bay has a vibrant local economic development focus and several catalytic interventions are in the pipeline to stimulate and augment the local economy. These include oil, gas and related products. Great development potential is seen in biofuels and downstream products from PetroSA - speciality paraffin products. Products currently imported - ethylene and derivatives - may augment the production of chemical and related products -commodity chemicals, alcohols, fertiliser and so forth.
There also exists potential for the production of oxygen, nitrogen, CO², argon and small scale propylene and derivatives.
Waste reduction and recycling
Refuse derived fuels, landfill reduction and waste to energy options are being explored. Several discussions have indicated the possiblity of developing a biogas facility for use in transportation, as well as the conversion of biomass into syngas. This will naturally require logistics, warehousing and containerisation.
Underlying all of the potential developments are research, innovation and product development.
Secondary focus areas
The potential of agri-exports and the aviation industry remain untapped.
Existing potential needs to be developed and expanded to attract business and investment, such as the provision of bunker fuel, facilities for minor rig and ship repairs and trans-shipment activities.
In addition to plans to establish an aquaculture industry with related processing facilities, the provincial Department of Agriculture was approached to fund a business plan and to give technical and specialist support.
Sustainability
Plans are afoot to formalise the De Nova Precinct as a medical hub and Mossel Bay is fast becoming known for excellent medical care and the exclusive availability of certain medical specialities in the region. This may have great spin-offs in medical tourism, considering the exchange rate.
It is deemed imperative to revitalise rail mobility, both for rail transport of bulk waste, but also to use the rail to enhance the tourism offering in the region, with steam locomotives being a focus, with the establishment of the Living Museum at Voorbaai.
Urban renewal plans include the CBD regeneration, including upgrading the Point precinct.
Harbour authorities have recently made presentations to council on their development plans for the harbour and the possible waterfront development.
Furthermore, exciting upgrades are planned for the Mayixhale Corridor.
Help from government
Considering the socio-economic needs of Mossel Bay, provincial and national government departments will be called upon to augment and support projects and planning, such as drought relief support for Herbertsdale and Buisplaas especially.
Furthermore, alternative water sources and the sinking of boreholes need to be investigated.
The annual Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding would need to be increased annually to fast track new road, water and sewerage infrastructure development, as would the annual Department Of Energy funding allocation for the adequate electrification of informal settlements and upgrading of electrical network infrastructure.
A dire need for the upgrade of the R328 (Louis Fourie Road) infrastructure cannot be stressed enough, especially the construction of safe walkway for learners having to walk from Sonskynvallei to Hartenbos along this very dangerous provincial road.
Van der Westhuizen also stressed the need for a new police station for the KwaNonqaba community. He said the municipality had made land available and urged the relevant stakeholders to engage to ensure that this priority becomes a reality.
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