Utrecht is poised for a significant surge in community upliftment, with the eMadlangeni Municipality making bold strides to revitalise its tourism sector through the Balele Game Park and to prioritise community safety with the establishment of the eMadlangeni Municipality Emergency Service Centre.
In a groundbreaking move, a R9.5 million investment is set to transform the Balele Game Park in Utrecht, restoring the beloved attraction to its former glory.
The eMadlangeni (Utrecht) Municipality is now showing its commitment to breathing new life into the park, ensuring it becomes a premier destination once more.
Addressing the challenges faced at Balele Game Park, the Municipality’s Communications Unit outlined several issues: Ageing tourist infrastructure, poorly maintained roads within the park that restrict access to key areas, a lack of exciting tourist activities such as game drives and quad biking, as well as the challenges of loadshedding and electricity cuts.
Despite these obstacles, the Municipality stated it has a plan in motion. “The eMadlangeni Local Municipality received a conditional grant from the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs. The purpose of the grant is to refurbish and maintain the Balele Game Park,” stated the Communications Unit.
The ambitious refurbishment plan for Balele Game Park includes:
- The building of three new self-catering wooden cabins.
- Construction of two new family units next to Balele Dam.
- Construction of two safari tents.
- Installation of 20 dome tents at the Caravan Park.
- Removal of the asbestos roof at Kiepersol Lodge and replacement with a more environmentally friendly roofing.
- Maintenance of the kids’ play area, including the plunge pool, maintenance of the caravan park pool. and maintenance of the Kiepersol pool (installation of a solar heating system).
- Renovation of the laundry room and staff canteen.
- Construction of a Balele Dam Deck that can accommodate 50 tourists.
Reflecting on these exciting developments, the eMadlangeni Municipality’s Communications Unit expressed, “We are hopeful that the Balele Game Park will once again become a top choice for visitors in the Amajuba District and the broader Northern KZN region. Our goal is to elevate the visitor experience by offering a wide array of tourist amenities that cater to the entire family. The Centre is easily accessible to the local community.”
As the Municipality focuses on restoring the Balele Game Park, it is also nearing the completion of the eMadlangeni Municipality Emergency Service Centre (The Centre).
As residents will recall, in March 2024, the Municipality collaborated with Uitkomst Colliery to establish a disaster management centre within the Utrecht community.
At the time, Newcastillian News reported that Uitkomst Colliery would be the primary funder of the project, while the eMadlangeni Municipality worked as the implementing agent. It was further highlighted that the project would take four months to complete.
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Nearly five months later, the Municipality has reported that The Centre is almost finished. “The target date for the completion of the eMadlangeni Municipality Emergency Services Centre (The Centre) was 15 July 2024. There were delays from the contractor, as there were many holidays and water shortages during construction,” the Communications Unit elaborated
This, the Communications Unit added, led to an extension of an additional four weeks, with the project now expected to be complete this month.
As of 13 August 2024, the Centre is approximately 90-95% complete – with the fencing, walls, roof, windows, plaster, ceiling, doors, plaster, painting, floor tiles, electrical, and plumbing works complete. According to the Communications Unit, the only work left is wall tiles, carpentry, and paving.
With this said, the Municipality’s Communications Unit explained, “The 11 staff members are already employed. Currently, the Municipality is utilising one of its properties, house no. 44 Scheepers, as the Centre since 2017.”
Furthermore, the team comprises a Fire and Disaster Manager, a Disaster Management Officer, eight firefighters, and a support staff member trained as a firefighter. Once fully operational, the Communications Unit explained, “The Centre will operate 24/7, and all emergency calls will be logged at the Centre. Help/Assistance/Service needed will be dispatched at once, and this will improve the response time.”
As Utrecht stands on the brink of these transformative developments, with a revitalised Balele Game Park and a state-of-the-art Emergency Service Centre, what are your thoughts on these initiatives?
Share your views in the comment section below.
