The Mayor supported by the Council ExCo Member for Finance, Cllr Botha, held a meeting with the leadership of the Maletswai Business Forum on Thursday, 7 March 2024, at the Aliwal Golf Club. The meeting was initiated by the Mayor, to revive the sound relationship and partnership between the municipality and the business sector. The business leadership appreciated the Mayor's initiative and pledged to work with the political leadership to improve the socio-economic condition of Maletswai. The Mayor proposed the following initiatives to the Maletswai Business Forum leadership: 1. Beautification of our town (spaces and buildings) 2. Revival of CBD parking bays project 3. Development of ablution facilities in the CBD 4. Multidimensional investment attraction (business retention, expansion, and new investment) 5. Integrated social responsibility initiatives to support the needy. The business leadership raised a number of concerns, primarily on bulk infrastructure development, reliability of the water supply, poor or late communication, Eskom debt, and financial viability of the municipality. Both the Mayor and Cllr Both were able to provide clarity on past projects, current projects, and upcoming projects. Further, the Mayor invited the business sector to participate in: Integrated Development Planning processes, Project Steering Committees, and in the Mayoral Local Economic Development Advisory Committee (MALEDAC) - to be launched soon. The meeting ended on a high note, and there will be follow-up meetings. "We need each other for the better good of our Maletswai and socio-economic growth of the entire municipal area" the Mayor in closing.