NELSON MANDELA BAY - MAYOR BHANGA CALLS MEETING TO TACKLE VANDALISM OF FACILITIES ACROSS THE BAY

Mayor Bhanga calls urgent Mayoral Committee meeting to tackle vandalism of Municipal facilities within the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, including community halls, libraries and sports grounds, are under constant attack by vandals and other criminal elements, who are hell-bent on destroying what should be the crown jewels in the daily lives of residents of the Bay.

The dire state of our facilities was highlighted during my oversight inspection today at the Lillian Ngoyi Community Hall in KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth.

During this inspection, I found the hall in total disrepair and vandalised to the point where it poses a health and safety hazard to anyone who might want to make use of the facility. The gymnasium and its equipment are damaged to such an extent whereby funds will have to be spent to repair and replace the existing equipment.

I have decided to call a special meeting of the Mayoral Committee to formulate a strategy to deal with the rampant vandalism and criminality at municipal facilities. The special meeting, set down for 13 January, will focus solely on finalising a resolution to save our municipal facilities from total collapse.

The collapse of our facilities is yet another indictment of the previous government’s incompetence and uncaring attitude towards the residents of Nelson Mandela Bay.

The current coalition government will not stand idly by and allow this to continue. We will do everything in our power to restore our facilities to their former glory and safeguard them from future attacks by vandals and criminals.

Together we can take Nelson Mandela Bay forward again.