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President Jacob Zuma today, 2 October 2012, passed by Slovo Park, near uMthatha, on his way to launch 49 schools as part of the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Committee and the Accelerated School Infrastructure Delivery Initiative (ASIDI) that was conceived in order to supplement the provincial school infrastructure programmes as well as eradicate all mud schools.

At Slovo Park, the President gave keys to a new house for the Mkile family, whose plight was flighted on television and drew the attention of the Provincial Government’s Human Settlement Department, which built the house.

Sadly, on the eve of President Zuma’s visit, house owner Mama Nomvuyo Mkile passed away and as part of extending his condolences, the President committed himself to educating her daughter Unathi Mkile, from Grade 10, where she had dropped out because of lack of funds, to tertiary education level.

“As a way of expressing my deep condolences,” the President said, “I would like to invest in the education of Unathi until she obtains a tertiary qualification. I believe that through her education, she will be able to uplift her family and also earn herself a better life.”

Still at Slovo Park, the community of Ward 12 of the King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality, took advantage of the President’s presence and handed him a list of services that needed to be delivered urgently. They appealed to President Zuma to deliver electricity, water, a clinic, a road, RDP houses and a high school to the Ward 12 community.

President Zuma undertook to act on their plight and that he would return to check on progress. In September last year, the President visited the King Sabatha Dalindyebo Municipality, where he was appraised of the progress in the implementation of the KSD Municipality’s Sustainable Development Master Plan (the Plan), which spans over 20 years.

To date, significant investments have been made towards KSD and some catalytic projects have been completed including work on the Mthatha airport, roads, water, sanitation and electricity projects. There is now also improved coordination between the relevant structures especially among offices of the Mayor, MEC and national government.