The Ilembe District Municipality received the municipal promotions award at the seventh annual FNB KZN top business portfolio awards in Durban last week.

Ilembe district mayor Welcome Mdabe and acting municipal manager Mike Newton accepted the award.

Mdabe said the award shows that Ilembe’s economic work is of a high standard.

“We take economic development and the development of our people very seriously. We do what we do each day for the benefit of our people and being recognised for it is a compliment,” he said.

Newton said the awards are made to companies and organisations in both the private and public sectors that make a contribution to the economy of the province.

“The work that our development agency, Enterprise Ilembe is doing has been adopted by the provincial cabinet. Our projects are currently being rolled out provincially starting with agricultural programmes at all district municipalities,” he said.

This is not the first time Ilembe has featured at the FNB awards.

In 2009 the municipality won an award for the 1000 skills learnerships which was secured for the Blythedale development and surrounds in a partnership with eLan, the Dube community and the department of human settlements.

In 2010, the district won its first individual award in the municipal investment attraction award category based on the success and recognition of Enterprise iLembe â€" the district municipality’s very own economic development agency.

Published on July 18, 2013 at 8:00 am