Sol Plaatje must turn streetlights on for festive season
by Melinda Hattingh MPL – DA Constituency Head of Lohatla
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Date: 28 August 2018
Release: Immediate
The Democratic Alliance in the Northern Cape will call on the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Bentley Vass, to intensify his intervention in the crumbling Tsantsabane Municipality. This comes after millions of litres of water went to waste in Postmasburg, largely due to the inaccessibility of senior management.
Despite the efforts of DA councillor, Mimi Swart, to secure the services of diggers on Monday last week, following a massive burst pipe, the inaccessibility of the Municipal Manager and the Directors of Technical Services ultimately resulted in the water pipe being left to flow until Wednesday, before repairs were actually done.
This is not the first instance whereby urgent repairs have had to stand over due to the “couldn’t care less” attitude of Tsantsabane senior municipal management.
A broken water meter in Sonop Street on Wednesday 15th August, was only repaired seven days later. A burst pipe in Jordaan Street was only repaired a day later. A burst pipe in Boichoko was left to flow unattended for a total of thirteen days.
Given that the municipality already owes Sedibeng Water millions, it can ill afford to make more debt for this bankrupt municipality.
Aside from the Tsantsabane’s water woes, the streets are in a terrible condition and certain areas have had to make do with a single street light for the past two years already.
Last week there was also no refuse collection in most of the areas.
While COGHSTA together with Provincial Treasury, visited the municipality three months ago, to get a turnaround strategy underway, it is clear that the downward spiral is continuing and that Tsantsabane requires a more urgent intervention. Perhaps the municipality can start by employing a Municipal Manager who lives in Postmasburg and not Kimberley, and a Technical Director who lives in Postmasburg and not Cape Town?
It is clear that the ANC merely uses municipalities as mechanisms for cadre deployment, and that it does not care about service delivery.
Only change under DA government will ensure that senior positions within local government are filled by competent and qualified officials, who prioritise service delivery above party political allegiance.
Media Enquiries
Melinda Hattingh MPL
DA Constituency Head of Lohatla
082 494 6648
Shelley De Witt
Researcher
082 847 1387
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