By Nangamso Mabindla
30 November 2005

THE City fathers are taking their responsibilities seriously, and are visiting all the City's cash offices to deal with customers' problems regarding account inquiries and finance-related questions.

Driven by the desire to improve service delivery, and under the banner of Project Consolidate, City officials will be visiting places like Dimbaza, Mdantsane, Ilitha and Gonubie, where they will listen to what people have to say about the billing system.

Project Consolidate is a two-year pilot programme through which the national government helps local governments to deal with challenges hands-on. In the Eastern Cape, the Nelson Mandela Metro and Buffalo City are two of 12 municipalities countrywide chosen to be part of the pilot project.

One of its key aspects is focusing on is the City's billing system.

The City's senior communications officer, Mamnkeli Ngam, said the roadshows were a way the municipality could respond directly to some concerns raised by communities.

"This is another way the municipality is finding innovative and creative ways of accelerating the delivery of services to the people."

Ngam said the programme started at the rent office in Zone 11, Mdantsane, on 23 October and would be finalised on 14 December in Phakamisa Township. Buffalo councillors would take part, to ensure the programme's success.

"Municipal officials will have the necessary equipment at their disposal to provide answers to people's problems and complaints that relate to their account queries. We encourage all affected people to come forward with their municipal statements of account so that their problems [can be] sorted out on the spot once and for all."