It marked the beginning of a chapter and renewal hope for accelerated service delivery when Mnquma Local Municipality officially opened a R200 million state-of-the-art office precinct in Butterworth recently.
The “one-stop” service centre, aptly dubbed the Tiyo Soga Building, is touted to faster the community’s service delivery needs and response timelines as it brings directorates, which were previously scattered around the Butterworth CBD. They include an Infrastructural Planning and Development, Strategic Management, Corporate Services, Budget and Treasury Office.
Soga, whose family and grandchildren attended the event as a stamp of approval, was an 18th century journalist, scholar and first black cleric who later wrote the famous hymn: Lizalise Idinga Lakho! He was born in Thuthura Administrative Area in Centane, one of the three rural towns served by Mnquma Local Municipality.
The event of the official opening was graced by a delegation led by the Executive Mayor Cllr Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa, Municipal Manager Silumko Mahlasela, Soga’s family and members of his Church, the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. The entourage also visited Soga’s grave, where they invoked his spirits to obtain his permission to use his name in line with tradition, and laid wreaths.
In her address Executive Mayor Cllr Manxila-Nkamisa said Council had taken a resolution to construct a broader population of Mnquma. “Today we celebrate the birth of a newborn as the family of Mnquma. We are overjoyed that this day has finally come because this faculty will improve access to the people of this area and attract more investors who will assist us to address social challenges such as high unemployment rate and poverty. This is a legacy that improves administrative efficiency for generations to come,” she said.
Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Soga family, NomaChina Mzamo, said the whole family will provide a guiding torch and help improve the lives of the people of Mnquma in line with the values embodied by the black intellectual Tiyo Soga, construction of the building.
