Communications

The faulty public lighting generally leaves most of the parts of the City darkness; this is of serious concern to residents and the Rustenburg Local Municipality acknowledges the inconvenience.

The Municipality has at the beginning of the financial year placed formal tender specifications through the Municipal supply chain processes to acquire the required material to support the programme of repairing and maintaining the high masts lights, streets lights and traffic lights. The duration to acquire the required quantity of streetlight sections on the ± 14 000 streetlights in town will take a considerable period and will be a costly exercise. A tender will be advertised for this project, which will include labour and material per section.

Some streetlights being on during the day is also of serious concern to the residents. This has become a sensitive concern to the Municipality especially during the embankment of energy efficiency methods of supplying electricity. The cause of the streetlights being on during the day is due to the control mechanisms that automatically switch the lighting on and off being faulty.

The Municipality assures residents that once the legislative processes of acquiring all specialised equipment are completed, the repairs and maintenance backlogs will be addressed as top priority.

End.

On the 5^th November 2020 at around 15h00, the city of Rustenburg was hit by heavy rains, storms and lightning strikes. As a result, there were widespread electricity failures due to trees falling onto power lines, strong winds breaking power lines and insulators surrendering to water ingression. The Rustenburg Local Municipality wishes to extend its unreserved apology to customers that were adversely affected by the recent power outages and the inconvenience that followed thereafter.

Prior to this act of nature, there was vandalism at the Eskom Marang Switching Station supplying RLM Waterkloof Substation, which regrettably caused power interruptions to Boschdal, Cashan, Safarituin, R24 and Waterfall East areas, including the Samancor Millsell Sylvania Plant.

Whilst technicians were busy with the restoration, persistent bad weather continued thus affecting substations and power lines located in the following areas:

1. Industries Sub – K6 Mine, Seraleng, Ramochana, part of Zinniaville & Karlien Park and Noord
2. Kroondal Sub – Kroondal Line, Ikemeleng, Indian line, Pta line, Rainbow Chicken, Zuurplaat, Modderfontein, Waagfontein, Rhenosterfontein, Boschfontein and R24
3. Voltaire Sub – Boitekong Ext 2,4,5,6, 13 & 23, Paardekraal Exts, Sunrise Park and Sunrise View and Million Dollar.
4. Alpha Sub – Kutlwanong line
5. Donkerhoek – Rietvlei line and sections of Protea Park.

Individual households were not spared from the intermittent power outages as the Municipality received numerous individual complaints from Zinniaville, Noord, East End, Boitekong Extensions, Paardekraal Extensions, Bo Dorp and Seraleng respectively.

Our Electrical Teams have been working tirelessly and have to this extent, completed the following repairs and restored power to following sections:

1. Waterfall East, Nyala Rock, Samancor Plant, Noord, Seraleng and Ramochana and Kutlwanong Deaf School.
2. Boschdal, Safarituine and Cashan
3. Kroondal Town, Ikemeleng, Old Pretoria Road, R24 Road, Zuurplaat, Waagfontein, Modderfontein, Boschfontein, Oorsaak and Rainbow Farm.
4. Boitekong Exts, Paardekraal Extensions, Sunrise Park and Sunrise View.
5. Tree prunning was also done in the R24 lines and Zand street 6. MV Cable jointing X6 7. Repairs on the broken MV line in Rietvlei and Modderfontein

Although the Municipality had hoped to have fully restored power in the shortest time possible, the scale of the damage has proved to be much greater than initially estimated and as a result, there are still some outstanding faults that require our attention.

We have therefore developed a plan and allocated 6 X Teams during working hours and 3 X Teams after hours, to ensure that the City has lights fully back on by the 11th November 2020.

As of last night, there were several outstanding individual household complaints as well as Section faults, particularly in the East End areas. Residents can be assured that as our technicians continue to conduct repairs even around the clock, ensuring that Bo Dorp, Klopper 263 to 267, R24/Boschfontein – affecting R24 Boschfontein up to Hunters Rest and Dinnie Estate have their lights back on as soon as is possible.

We once more apologize for the inconvenience caused and be assured that the matter is receiving attention with the utmost focus that it deserves.  Further updates will be provided periodically as work continues to be carried out.

Your continued patience in this regard will be highly appreciated.

End.

Today the leadership collective of the Rustenburg Local Municipality, led by the Executive Mayor Councillor Mpho Khunou successfully concluded day 1, of the three-day visit by the Provincial Public Accounts Committee of the North West Legislature.  The committee led by chairperson Hon. Job Dliso received a first-hand account of what the RLM has been able to achieve since the conceptualisation of the Rustenburg Rapid Transport (RRT) system. The RLM through the Municipal Manager Mr. Victor Makona presented a detailed report on what has been done to date, as well as highlighting areas which still required attention prior to the operationalization of the project. The Executive Mayor led a guided tour, with two of the newly delivered buses to give the committee a feel of how the system would operate while inspecting sites in which construction is still on-going.

The RLM was represented by the Council Speaker – Councillor Sheila Mabale Huma, Member of the Mayoral Committee on Roads and Transport – Councillor Lucky Kgaladi, Chairperson of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee – MPAC Councillor Lebogang Sephai and members of the committee. The Deputy Speaker of the N.W legislature Hon. Viola Motsumi, Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs Hon. Aaron Motswana and Chair of Chairs. Hon Mmoloki Cwaile were in attendance as well as members of the taxi negotiating forum – TNF.

1. The Council of the Rustenburg Local Municipality approved the process plan for the implementation of the new General Valuation Roll during a sitting of the special virtual council meeting on Tuesday 30 June 2020 per item 103 as follows: –
   • That the Council note the progress report;
   • That the extended date of implementation of the new General Valuation Roll is the 01 July 2021
   • That the Council approve the process plan to ensure that time period for valuation is complied with;
   • That the Municipal Manager dedicate an official to supervise the implementation of the Valuation Roll;
   • That a progress report be submitted to every ordinary Council sitting; and
   • That the Multi -Party Committee monitor progress in terms of implementation of the process plan and a report be submitted at every council sitting.
2. This communique serves as a further reassurance to members of the community that relevant committees of the municipality as well as the Multiparty Committee are pursuing the matter with a view to ensure that a credible Valuation Roll which is a product of the combined efforts of all the stake holders is compiled.
3. A series of community participation meetings are scheduled to take place during the month of November 2020 wherein the inputs of members of the public will be solicited
4. The dates, venues and times for the meetings will be communicated
5. A further report will be shared with residents concerning the progress on the implementation of the General Valuation Roll for the year 1 July 2021.

End.

The Rustenburg Local Municipality, has noted with concern the number of expired food stuffs placed on shelves of numerous retail outlets in Rustenburg and surrounding areas.  This follows an on-going operation focused on compliance which the Municipality has undertaken to ensure the safety of consumers.

Officials of the Public Safety Directorate, descended upon Lekgalong, where a number of tuck shops were found to be selling expired food stuffs such as Mokgopa Trading, Bereket Tuck Shop and Modimo Nthuse Tuck Shop. Fines were imposed on the owners of the outlets and expired food stuffs were confiscated for disposal. An additional six stores within the CBD were equally charged for selling expired food stuffs including soft drinks and baking powders.

Three stores in the Marikana Shopping Complex precinct, were also inspected and fined for contravention of Municipal by-laws as well as selling expired food stuffs. The Member of the Mayoral Committee on Public Safety, Councillor Victoria Makhaula expressed concern at the findings of the compliance operations “we have been doing this activity randomly to check if the outlets in our Municipality comply with the trading regulations. What worries me, is that we have had people dying from consuming expired food stuffs, as it happened when there was listeriosis, but it is disheartening to see business taking advantage of our people. In the last 3 weeks, we have fined over 25 stores within the CBD and in the surrounding areas and my plea is for consumers to be extra vigilant as this can compromise their health” MMC Makhaula reiterated. All of the confiscated food stuffs, have been disposed in strict compliance to the applicable environmental management prescripts.

The Municipality also remains equally concerned with the lack of fire safety equipment at the businesses which were inspected. Businesses which were found not be compliant, were also issued with fines.  Compliance to Fire safety remains critical, as in the event of fires, damage to municipal infrastructure can be substantially reduced as well as reducing the risk of secondary fires in the neighbouring buildings which are most households in the townships and villages.

End.