The Official Newsletter of Bushbuckridge Municipality Volume 2 Issue 12: July- September 2020 Your News. Your Eyes. Your Voice What is Inside... Page 06 + Service Delivery Ranks High On The List Of The Municipality’s Priorities Page 11 +Municipality Adds Four UD Tipper Trucks To Service Fleet Page 13 FIGHTING COVID-19 TOGETHER + DBSA And BLM To Provide Clean Water To Communities Our Vision Bushbuckridge Local Municipality strives for developmental and prosperous life for all. Our Mission The municipality commits itself to provide affordable and sustainable services by enhancing community participation, through accountability, transparency and responsible governance. Our Core Values + Transparency + Responsible Governance + Efficient Service Delivery www.bushbuckridge.gov.za Editor’s Note BUSHBUCKRIDGE MUNICIPALITY LOCAL TABLE OF CONTENTS Editor’s note 2 Executive Mayor’s Desk 3 Municipal Manager’s Desk 4 Executive Mayor Hosts R40 Road Expansion 5 Communications Manager, Information Session Mr Aubrey Mnisi Service Delivery Ranks High On The List Of 6-9 ello again to you our valued of mourners gathered and large The Municipality’s Priorities Hreaders. Our third quarter catering for mourners. The latter BLM Seeks Devine Intervention With Three 10 mouthpiece issue comes out has changed due to restrictions Days Prayer Session at a month where we just brought by the novel Covid-19 celebrated Heritage month and lockdown regulations. BLM Cleans Illegal Dumpsites 10 moved to alert level one of the Municipality Adds Four UD Tipper Trucks To 11 Disaster Management Act. As a recovered Covid-19 Service Fleet patient, I want to warn all Bushbuckridge is a culturally Bushbuckridgeans about Belfast-Cork Receives Water Purification 12 diverse community with at least Covid-19. It is real and you Package Plant three ethnic tribes who live in can die from it. We have DBSA And BLM To Provide Clean Water To 13 harmony. It is worth to mention seen people dying from the that we have 11 Traditional Coronavirus and some do Communities Councils in Bushbuckridge. survive Covid-19. So let’s stay Speakers Blog: We Rely On Each Other’s 13 We are a deep-rooted cultural safe, obey the Covid-19 health Good Behaviour To Keep Our Communities community that has the ability protocols and save each other’s to adjust to the ever-evolving lives in the process. Bushbuckridge Local Municipality Appoints 14 environment and technological Sabie Sand Wildtuin CEO world. With the current lockdown BLM Supports Newly Appointed Sabie restrictions at alert level one, The novel Coronavirus pandemic the municipality will continue Sands Wildtuin CEO 14 brought a new way of life and a using online and social media BLM Reminds The Public About General new way of doing things and as platforms to consult and engage Valuation Roll 15 a society, we are compelled to the public on matters of service adjust. Our cultural norms and delivery. Let’s continue to wash The Fight Against COVID-19 continues 16 beliefs have been challenged hands regularly, wear masks, and to a certain extent changed. keep a safe social distance at all Just to cite an example, we times. used to bury our loved ones on weekends with a large number Meet the BLM Communication Team Editor in Chief: Mr Aubrey Mnisi Customer Care : +27(0) 081 044 2061 Editor: Mr Claiton Khosa Reporters: Mr Claiton Khosa, Mr Wellem @Bbr Municipality Mokoena, Ms Maria Masuku, Mr Progress Mashego, Ms Cate Mbowana, Mr Eugene Malele Bushbuckridge Municipality [email protected] www.bushbuckridge.gov.za 2 Volume 2 Issue 11: April- Jun 2020 Executive Mayor’s Desk llow me to take this Our prayers and commitments pertaining to Covid-19 you to continue being on your Aopportunity and applaud have allowed our scientists and measures are observed in all best behaviour. Keep social every South African and in the health experts to have the public and private facilities and distancing, sanitize and wear a particular Bushbuckridge President announcing the move where needs be -personally mask at all times. members of the community to alert level one and reopening visiting their sites. As the for the commitment, they most of the economic activities. Executive Mayor I sit and head I also would also like to applaud have shown in heading the It is a number one priority to the Local Covid-19 Council that our essential services team for President’s call since the save as many lives and as many meets twice a week where all the outstanding job they have inception of the National jobs as possible during this matters pertaining to Covid-19 shown since the inception of Disaster Management Act the National Lockdown alert stipulating “stay home and only level five (5) to- date. There go out when accessing food and has never been a day where medical attention”. the members of the community embarked on service delivery Through your best behavioural protest with regards to water patterns and commitment to shortages, though there has ensuring that the Coronavirus been fewer incidents in terms can only be moved by us of water and other related when irresponsibly making matters. However, our essential unnecessary movements. services team has been up to South Africa has since moved the task and I appreciate that. from alert level five (5) to alert level one (1) thanks to the Consumption of alcohol in kind of behaviour displayed Executive Mayor, Cllr Sylvia Nxumalo licensed premises has been throughout the entire period. allowed and it has been proven Although many lives have been that alcohol is a major cause of lost, most were saved and are time period, the government infections are deliberated. Gender Based Violence (GBV) continuing to be saved because of the day pulled on all corners and other incidents leading up of the manner in which you are from food parcels distribution, The centre reports directly to the to overloaded health facilities at your best behaviour. Covid-19 relief grants, the Provincial Covid-19 Command thus depriving those who need business loan bail-out and Council and I am proud to emergency services the right to Not only did the Coronavirus other modes of assistance to announce that both the centres be treated. bring shivering waves down our its people. We have no doubt have done a great deal in terms spines in terms of our lives but that as South Africans we are of saving lives. The President’s I therefore urge you to continue changed our way of living and stronger together and we recent announcement that your best behaviour under the how we socialize in the “new- will rise again socially and the country is now placed on alert level one (1) as that can norm” days. Most our people economically. alert level one following the assist in avoiding the second have lost their jobs and others decline in numbers of infections wave of the Covid-19 pandemic had to rely on government aid I have together with the Local per ratio and the number of which may lead back to in terms of food parcels and Covid-19 Command Council recoveries seen by far, the higher alert levels with stricter the relief grant for survival. ensured that all precautions storm is not over yet and I urge measures. BLM MOUTHPIECE NEWSLETTER 3 Municipal Manager’s Desk It is undoubtedly a fact and water services technicians criminal elements to the South water license for farming. The that Bushbuckridge Local out in the space assisting our African Police Services (SAPS) municipality only supplies Municipality’s (BLM) essential communities with an adequate and illegal water connections water for domestic purposes employees and other various water supply and other to the municipal offices. only. stakeholder’s employees in essential services. However, particular the health sector, the there had been some lack of We are urging members of the The placement of the police and the South African water supply in some areas community to report all those country to alert level two National Defence Force have does not necessarily mean indeed been our heroes and the upliftment of Covid-19 heroines since the emergence regulation adherence, I urge of the Covid-19 Coronavirus. you to be more vigilant than These brave men and women before and exercise social daily put their lives on the line distancing, sanitizing, and to ensure that their country’s putting on of your masks at people are safe from the all times especially in public Coronavirus pandemic. places. As a municipality, we are really appreciative of your Bushbuckridge is in no commitment to saving as many way been spared from the lives as possible by observing Coronavirus and as a rural Covid-19 regulations. municipality, we are in for a big challenge owing to the lack In conclusion, the municipality of resources. We are however Municipal Manager, Mrs Cynthia Nkuna will continue serving you with a grateful for our provincial and purpose to bring development the national government who and social cohesion. It is also in have since played an important and the municipality moved using municipal water for the interest of the municipality role in the fight against the with speed to address such. watering of plants or farming to ensure that Bushbuckridge spread of the virus and saved purposes to the municipal becomes a place of interest many lives through the various I would like to reassure offices. and attraction for all people interventions introduced at all members of the community from all walks of life. spheres of governance. that they will still receive the Should any member of the kind of quality services which community wish to apply for We continue to commit In the struggle for a better they received whilst the a license for watering plants to providing affordable life for all through the country was still on alert level or purposes of farming they and sustainable services emancipation of public 5.