Date: 28/10/2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Dowry: Handover of cheque for development in Wellington, W Cape


EXTRACTS FROM A SPEECH BY COBUS DOWRY, WESTERN CAPE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, AT A MEETING OF THE PREMIER, MR MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, WITH FARM WORKERS IN WELLINGTON AT WHICH A CMIP CHEQUE OF R2,8 MILLION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN WELLINGTON WAS HANDED TO THE DRAKENSTEIN MUNICIPALITY, Wellington, 28 October 2003

CMIP HAS SPENT MORE THAN R542 MILLION ON 818 MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE WESTERN CAPE AS A RESULT OF A SOLID PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES AND PROVINCE

The provincial government is involved in a number of programmes and projects to support and capacitate municipalities to alleviate poverty. A lot of work has been done at most municipalities with regards to the provision of free basic services, credit control, indigent policies, local economic development and integrated sustainable rural and urban renewal programmes. However, one of the programmes that impacted on poverty alleviation is the provision of infrastructure.

The Department of Local Government is coordinating Consolidated Municipal Infrastructure Programme (CMIP) - a programme developed to support municipalities to provide for new infrastructure as well as the rehabilitation and upgrading of existing infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged areas. Because of the solid partnership between the provincial government and our municipalities the Western Cape has been acknowledged as one of the best performing provinces in the supply of infrastructure.

I am proud to announce today that the CMIP in the Western Cape has since its inception spent more than R542 million on municipal infrastructure.

Since its inception the following project categories have been approved:
* 245 water projects with a CMIP value of R150,9 million
* 125 sanitation projects with a CMIP value of R118,1 million
* 116 road projects with a CMIP value of R137 million
* 27 solid waste projects with a CMIP value of R19,4 million
* 135 community lighting projects with a CMIP value of R55,8 million
* 146 storm water projects with a CMIP value of R91,3 million
* 24 community facility projects with a CMIP value of R41,2 million

In total we are proud that disadvantaged communities in the 30 municipalities in the Western Cape have received the benefit of 818 municipal infrastructure projects.

Furthermore my department has coordinated 31 capacity building projects to train municipal officials ranging from electricity to truck driving.

Enquiries: Jan Bosman, 083 775 5312
Issued by: Department of Local Government, Western Cape Provincial Government
28 October 2003