Address by Executive Mayor of Buffalo City Councillor Zintle Peter

• The Programme Director
• Fellow Councillors
• Abefundisi bezakwaLizwi
• Fellow citizens
• Ladies and gentlemen

Once again it is that time of the year when we divorce ourselves from the cares and frustrations of the world and firmly embrace the spiritual massage of the Festive Season.

It is that time of the year when we all take a well-earned breather from the regulated lives that we live throughout the year.

IKrismesi lixesha lokuphumla; ixesha lokonwaba nezihlobo nezalamane zethu; ixesha lokuphululana imivambo ebangelwe ziinkxwaleko esidibene nazo apha ebudeni bonyaka.
It is a time of giving and sharing; a time of forgiveness and interpersonal reconciliation.

Ebudeni bonyaka ka-2007 besixakekile, elowo ejamelene neemeko ezigqubayo ebomini bakhe. Kwabanye ibingunyaka oyokozela amathamsanqa neentsikelelo; unyaka ekuthe ngawo kwaphenduleka imithandazo yeminyaka.

Ukanti kwabanye unyaka ka-2007 ebezele ziimbandezelo neenzingo. Ngunyaka abanqwenela ukuba akhawuleze agqithe, ukuze babone ukuba ozayo unyaka uza kubaphatha njani na.

U-2007 ibingunyaka weenyembezi kubo; unyaka wezingqala. Abanye baphulukene nemisebenzi yabo bazifumanisa sele bengqiba. Bambi baphulekene nezihlobo zabo ngenxa yegongqongqo elingugawulayo nezinye izifo.

Bambi ude waphela unyaka besihla benyuka bezingelana namathuba empangelo. Abanye banyanzeleke ukuba balahle esikolweni ngenxa yokushokoxeka kwemali yokubafundisa.

Poverty and starvation have taken their toll, with many families still wondering how they have managed to make it through the year.

And so, as we prepare to mark the beginning of the Festive Season, my thoughts and prayers go out to all those people and families who would rather erase the memories of the year 2007 from their minds. Kuzo zonke ezo ndidi zabantu ndithi: ezintsizini zenu, iliso likaYehova liyabona. Do not lose hope. These dark clouds will clear one day, and you will look back at the tribulations of 2007 with a sigh of relief.

To those fortunate individuals who are bold enough to declare some amount of success for their labours this year I want to say, well done

As you celebrate your good fortunes, spare a thought for the poor and destitute sectors of our society, people who find nothing special in the Festive Season because they still have to beg and scrounge for a living.

The Festive Season is also a time of reflection and stock taking of our successes and failures during the passing year. The Municipality has, during the year, also done its bit to improve the lives of our people.

Although much still needs to be done, I feel that we are fully justified in celebrating with you the little cheer that we managed to bring to the hearts of many of our people.

We made some significant inroads into the arena of housing for our people. Newly-built houses in Ilitha, Phakamisa, Sweetwaters, Ginsberg, Dimbaza, Bhisho and Balasi stand as visible testimony to this truth. As I speak, construction of 373 units in the Tyutyu Phase 2 project is nearing completion.

Just recently we launched the Community Support Centre here in town in a bid to streamline and centralize access to community support services. Judging by the number of people who visit the place on a daily basis, local people especially the youth are maximum use of the services offered by this centre.

Ukuzama ukukhawulelana nomngeni wokunqongophala kwezakhono kwimisebenzi yobugcisa, senze intlanganisela nephulo elibizwa ngokuba yi-Business Place elinee-ofisi ezilapha eQonce. UMasipala ubanike indawo yokusebenzela simahla, ukuze bona bagqithise ulwazi kwezoshishino kubantu bethu, bejolise kakhulu kulutsha noomama. Nina ke bantu kulungiselelwa bona anihlawuli mali nje kwaphela; nizuza uqeqesho noncedo simahla.

Siphindile senza uthethathethwano nequmrhu i-Eastern Cape Development Corporation sisithi makukhangelwe icebo lokuncedisana noosomashishini abasakhasayo kunye nabanye abantu abafuna iindawo zokusebenzela.

I-ECDC iphendule ngokuvumela oosomashishini abasakhasayo ukuba bangene kweza fektri zikhala ibhungane phaya eDimbaza, basebenzele kuzo behlawula imali encinane kakhulu, imali elingene iipokotho zabo.

Ndithetha nje sele kukho ushishino lokulungisa iidesika zezikolo oluqhubekayo kwenye yeza fektri, shishini elo lisekwe ngoncedo lwe-Business Place le ndithetha ngayo. Ndiyabakhuthaza ngoko oosomashishini bethu abasakhasayo abaswele iindawo zokusebenzela ukuba bayisebenzise le nyhweba.

During the year we spent R2,3 million upgrading sports fields and community halls in the Greater King William's Town area, with Breidbach accounting for R490,000 of that amount.

We have budgeted a further R1,5 million for sports fields in rural areas, including Tyutyu, Hanover and Zinyoka. We are now in the process of identifying suitable land and we are confident that we will succeed.

During the year we spent in excess of R230,000 on new electrical installations and upgrading electricity reticulation in King William's Town and its surrounding areas.

Potholes on public roads have always been a problem in the Greater King William's Town area, including rural areas. The Municipality has during the year managed to keep up with the programme of filling these potholes. The recent rains have however resulted in more damage, and I want to promise you that we will continue to respond positively as we have done in the past.

As I have already stated, we are aware that much still needs to be done to improve the conditions of living within our communities and, for this reason, we plan to accelerate our development and service delivery programmes in the future.

But for now let us enjoy this God-given respite for spiritual relaxation and physical entertainment. Let us enjoy the Christmas Season responsibly and with due regard to the safety and welfare of others.

In conclusion, I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. May this Festive Season bring joy and contentment to all our people. And may the generous spirit of Christmas permeate the hearts of all those who have the capacity to help others.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

I thank you.

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