Latest news with #AndredeLange
The Citizen
a day ago
- General
- The Citizen
Frustrations mount in Empangeni over recurring water outages
Two burst water pipes on Wednesday left certain Empangeni residents without water for the second time in a week. One of the leaks occurred at the corner of Apollo and Weightman avenues while the second was reported on Bluebuck Street. ALSO READ: City of uMhlathuze puts temporary measures in place to address waste collection delays The corner of Apollo and Weightman avenues has been the site of multiple burst water pipes this year – most notably over the Easter weekend and most recently on Friday last week. The most affected areas this time were the suburb of Panorama, as well as Theunissen, Badenhorst, and parts of President Swart Avenue. Some residents were without water from 12 noon until as late as 1am to 3am. 'Yet again we are sitting without water,' said Panorama resident Lucy Behary. 'We didn't have water on Friday for close to 10 hours, and now on Wednesday, we are without water again. It's not fair. They fix the pipe, and then it breaks again. 'We all pay our municipal bills on time. Why are we suffering like this? What is going on in this town?' ALSO READ: WATCH: Union marchers hand over list of grievances to City of uMhlathuze While the Samwu (South African Municipal Workers' Union) strike caused delays to municipal services, contractors were brought in on this occasion to carry out the repairs. 'They completed repairs around 1.30am, but the problem remains our ageing infrastructure. The municipality needs to budget properly for upgrades—it will save money in the long run,' said Ward 23 Councillor Andre de Lange. 'The crux of the matter is that our infrastructure is ageing,' confirmed Sibusiso Ngcobo, deputy city manager for infrastructure services at the Ward 23 public meeting last week. 'With the DWS [Department of Water and Sanitation], we've developed a business plan to replace our asbestos pipes – the same pipes that keep bursting.' Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
30-05-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
uMhlathuze leaders summoned to Empangeni public meeting over unresolved service delivery issues
Key leaders from the City of uMhlathuze have been summoned to the next Ward 23 public meeting in Empangeni. The upcoming meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 4 June at 6pm, to be held at the Empangeni SME One Stop Shop at 44 Turnbull Street, has been arranged by Cllr Andre de Lange following a heated meeting with over 80 fuming residents on 15 May. Many expressed outrage over long-standing, unresolved issues, calling for the mayor and city manager to answer. 'At every meeting, the same problems are discussed, the list gets longer and the problems aren't resolved. What are we paying rates for?' asked Renzo Perini, who has lived in the town since 1950. He said how Union Street has become a urinal and that he has to remove faeces from his place of work. 'We keep on paying, but there's no efficiency, no productivity. Now the management must be taken to task,' he said. 'We need all the responsible people who have the authority, to come and respond to us,' said Sboniso Xulu. 'We need a management plan,' urged Adri Mansvelder. Some of the complaints include: · Persistent electricity outages and water cuts, often patched up instead of long-term fixes · Municipal contractors need to be properly trained, particularly with water pipe fixes and electricity problems at main substations · Potholes and faded road markings · Lack of traffic officers to manage violations such as drivers racing down Paul Avenue · Vagrants digging in bins · Lack of service delivery: overgrown areas and uncut grass (with cutting collection routinely delayed), broken glass and litter in public areas · Old Empangeni graveyard needs to be fenced properly · Construction work lagging on Commercial Road outside Empangeni Library · Better service delivery in Richards Bay compared to Empangeni · Public drinking rampant and by-laws ignored, with a call for placing signage banning alcohol use in public areas · Natural heritage destroyed by residents cutting down old trees (some 100 years old) on pavements · Rampant crime · Lack of accountability: no follow-up from prior complaints Don't have the ZO app? Download it to your Android or Apple device here: HAVE YOUR SAY Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. For news straight to your phone invite us: WhatsApp – 060 784 2695 Instagram – zululand_observer At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
