DA to intensify monitoring of GBV cases in Upington
| by Grantham Steenkamp – DA Northern Cape spokesperson of COGHSTA |
| Date: 29 September 2020 |
| Release: Immediate |
| Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans from Grantham Steenkamp, MPL. Also see attached pictures here and here.The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape (NC) is deeply concerned over the lack of municipal services in Hartswater and surrounding towns and will submit a letter to the appointed administrator at CoGHSTA who is meant to oversee municipal functions in this area.This comes shortly after the Phokwane municipality was dissolved in May this year due to ongoing factionalism and the establishment of multiple power bases that caused havoc and dysfunction within the institution.Even before the dissolution of the municipal council at this municipality, ongoing power struggles has had major impacts on the functionality of the municipality and was further exacerbated when the municipality was eventually dissolved.Residents from the area are still waiting for the intervention of the administrator delegated by the MEC of CoGHSTA, Bentley Vass, to ensure that service delivery continued after the dissolution.It was recently brought to our attention that residents in Wards 6 (six) and 7 (seven) of this municipal area have had to live with raw sewage flowing on their doorsteps (See attached pictures here and here). To add insult to injury, residents have also been subjected to witnessing fresh water flowing uncontrollably.The lack of fresh water and the overflow of raw sewage in communities pose major health risks and is cause for concern given that the country is currently facing the peak of Covid-19 cases.Residents in and around Hartswater have also been living with piles of garbage gathering in their backyards.The DA has been monitoring interventions in Phokwane closely and is calling on Vass to urgently intervene and ensure that residents in Hartswater and surrounding areas immediately receive service delivery.It is not fair that taxpayers have to bear the brunt and pay for services that have not been delivered. It is unacceptable to withhold basic service delivery from communities and still expect residents to vote come by-elections. |
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