Manzini Municipality Promises To Attend To Roads Soon After Rains
The Municipal Council of Manzini has conducted a citywide inspection of its road infrastructure in the wake of the incessant rains which continue to be experienced in the country. Whilst those that are relatively new have remained resilient, the reality on the ground is that the rains have done extensive damage on most of those that have outlived their 15-year design life; including the city centre wherein some of the roads are over 20 years old. A number of surfaced roads in the city centre such as Tenbergen, Meintjies, Ngwane, Nkoseluhlaza, Louw, Masalesikhundleni and Tikhuba streets have developed a high volume of potholes. Same applies to some of those that are in the townships. Unfortunately, the Municipality is not able to patch the holes whilst the rains are continuing and the roads are wet; be it through the use of bitumen or stabilised gravel.
The reason is that bitumen can only be applied on dry surfaces as it does not bond well when the surface is wet or moist. The Municipality, therefore, appeals for patience from citizens in the meantime. Once the rains subside, the relevant teams within the Municipality will run full throttle, attending to the roads. Stabilised gravel will be applied when the surface condition has moved from wet to moist and once the road surface is completely dry, bitumen patching will be effected. Motorists are urged to drive with caution during this period; ensuring that they observe the speed limit.
Most of the city’s gravel roads have also not been spared. Unfortunately, the Municipality is unable to blade the roads under the wet conditions as doing such will destabilise the road compaction, resulting in skidding. Where properties have become inaccessible as a result of the rains, residents are urged to notify the Municipality through the 24/7 Call Centre (800 2004/2505 7000) so that appropriate interventions can be implemented. Council will continue unclogging storm water drains in order to minimise rain water run-off on the roads. Residents are also urged to desist from dumping waste in the storm water drains as it ends up causing blockages, resulting in run-off water damaging the roads.
CUSTOMER SERVICE WEEK: COUNCIL REMAINS CUSTOMER CENTRIC DURING COVID-19
True to its vision and mission, the Municipal Council of Manzini has remained customer centric even during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. During an unprecedented period wherein the organisation’s customers, as part of a global drive to flatten the Covid-19 curve, were required to stay home in order to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, the Municipality remained in touch with the citizens it serves. Citizens of the city and all other stakeholders were able to express their municipal service requests through the Municipality’s 24/7 Call Centre (800 2004/2505 7000) and despite that the workforce was largely working remotely, small teams were always on standby to attend to service faults and other customer concerns.
Between April and June 2020 alone, approximately 150 service requests were received through the Municipality’s Call Centre and a large majority of them were addressed. Customers who needed to make payments to the Municipality were encouraged to do so through the various digital payment platforms which exist within the organisation including MTN Mobile Money, Electronic Funds Transfer and Debit Order arrangements. A rates payment promotion was also rolled out solely for customers who made their payments through these digital platforms. Furthermore, the Municipality’s website (www.mzcitycouncil.sz) was upgraded and relaunched. The new website has a functionality for downloads of specific service request forms which under normal circumstances were only accessible by traveling all the way to the civic centre.
The website also comes with a customer feedback functionality which allows customers to interact with the Municipality remotely. As part of its ISO 9001:2015 certification, which puts emphasis on customer focus, the Municipal Council of Manzini has a Quality Management System which helps ensure all processes within the organisation are carried out in line with acceptable global quality standards. The Municipal Council of Manzini joins the world in celebrating International Customer Service Week. The Municipality also expresses appreciation to the internal teams that continuously ensure it remains relevant and responsive to the needs of its customers.
…MUNICIPALITY EMBRACES TEQBALL, GETS E30,000 EQUIPMENT FROM TEF
The Municipal Council of Manzini yesterday received a donation of a E30,000 Teq Lite Table from the Teqball Eswatini Federation (TEF) which is under the leadership of former football star Mfanafuthi Taribo Bhembe. The donation, which is one of the ways in which the Federation is promoting the relatively new global sport, was done yesterday at the Manzini civic centre. Bhembe, who is President of the Federation, mentioned that they would like to partner with Council as they introduce the sport to communities and schools within the City of Manzini. Meanwhile, Manzini Council acting Chief Executive Officer Madoda Dlamini expressed the organisation’s appreciation to the Federation for the donation; adding that the table would be put to good use. He added that the Municipality was willing to partner with the Federation in the promotion of the sport.
Dlamini noted that international football clubs had adopted the sport as a must-have addition to their training regimes; further imploring Manzini football teams and the general citizenry to embrace the sport. The TEF team, together with employees of the Municipality, later on participated in a demonstration of how the new sport is played. The following photos were taken during the donation ceremony…