By Hlengiwe Ndlovu | 2018-09-23

MATSAPHA Town Council is home to the country’s major industrial activities as it plays host to many factories, import vehicle dealerships and a myriad of production industries.

Most of the country’s exports are also produced in Matsapha while the primary destination for a significant proportion of imports is the same industrial town with its many warehouses.

As one of the country’s biggest towns, Matsapha currently needs over E327 million to implement its Integrated Development Plan (IDP), with an accompanying E112 million estimated for recurrent expenditure (especially personnel).

The municipality’s IDP demonstrates how the bulk of these funds will be directed to infrastructure development (32 per cent), followed by social development (19 per cent) and institutional capacity development (18 per cent).

Recurrent expenditure, especially staff costs, are projected to take up to 35 per cent of overall budget estimates for the IDP period which began in July and ends in 2024.

Regarding infrastructure development, the municipality intends to improve lighting in the town for security purposes, by installing more than 30 hi-mast lights in the next five years, reducing traffic congestion, improving pedestrian movement and safety.

The IDP shows how the municipality is also exploring ways of protecting the town’s road network and property from storm water, improving public facilities, keeping the municipality’s property in good shape and improving  street furniture in the town.

With social development, priority will be given to up-scaling collaboration for improved waste management, environment management, proper land and biodiversity management.

Compliance

Since this town is also home to many food manufacturing entities, the municipality is looking at ways to  improve the enforcement of compliance regarding food handling operations, workplace practices and controlling informal trade.

There is no denying the fact that Matsapha is the worst affected town in terms of overcrowding and population density as the town is home to tens of thousands of factory workers. Overcrowding culminates in the easy spread of diseases, a situation which the municipality seeks to address through environmental health programmes, increasing municipality programmes on HIV and AIDS as well as TB.

Further, the municipality will prioritise reduction of risk exposure to safety hazards in the workplace, raise awareness on environmental health programmes, increase the municipality’s programmes on HIV/AIDS and TB.

Increase

Matsapha has seen an increase in the arrival of people from rural Eswatini to settle in the town and adjacent communities such as Mbhuleni, Kwaluseni, Eteni, Mathangeni, Mhlane, Mahlabatsini and Logoba.

The municipality acknowledges that despite being outside the precinct of the urban boundary, these areas require municipal services such as refuse collection, waste disposal and road and telecommunications infrastructure which can only be provided by the Matsapha municipality, being the nearest to them all.

In the IDP period, the municipality is also looking into reducing safety hazards in the workplace.

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