DURBAN: Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Sipho Hlomuka has assured residents of small villages decimated by unrest last week that his department is committed to help them recover from the violence and looting.
Hlomuka, together with Minister for Cogta Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, visited the small towns of Bulwer and Donnybrook, which fall under the Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma Local Municipality in the Midlands on Tuesday.
In the town of Bulwer, a hardware shop survived and is in the process of being converted into a grocery store.
In her address to stakeholders, Dr Dlamini-Zuma assured them of the government's commitment to restoring peace in communities that were affected by the unrest and to support municipalities, as well as all stakeholders, in dealing with the impact of the unrest.
“As we set out to rebuild our towns we have to re-imagine how we can improve on what they were,” said Dlamini-Zuma.
Hlomuka urged the municipality to speed up the processes of approving building plans once they were submitted. “It is important that our municipalities work closely with business to ensure that plans are timeously approved, as this is the only way we can get our towns rebuilt.
“We have assigned senior officials from our Municipal Planning division, which will assist municipalities in the rebuilding process and ensure that all building plans comply with the relevant legislation,” said Hlomuka.
Hlomuka will be visiting other small towns across the province to get first-hand accounts of the extent of the damage and the rebuilding efforts.
THE MERCURY