This earnest appeal to save our Kouga towns in the format of this press release was compiled by the DA caucus of Kouga Municipality. All parties are welcome to respond using the Comments facility on this blog.
The JBRA is strictly neutral with respect to political parties, but is happy to publish contributions from any source that are related to our district.
Every
verse of Pete Seeger’s now famous folk song: “Where have all the flowers gone” ended
with the words: “Oh, when will they ever learn?”
There
can be no doubt that conditions in our once quaint Kouga villages have
degenerated alarmingly during the period the ANC have had control of the Kouga
municipality. After 12 years of misrule the residents of the villages in the
Kouga Municipality like St Francis Bay, Humansdorp, Jeffreys Bay and Hankey are
justified in asking: “When will they ever learn?”
What has happened to St Francis Bay, the
world renowned village that Leighton Hulett created so uniquely and masterfully, is shameful. The value of investment in these properties is now suffering from the
total neglect and degradation of roads and verges. It is relevant to ask what
happened to the financial reserves and the sound infrastructure inherited from
St Francis Municipality in the year 2001? Why were the St Francis fire services
permitted to deteriorate to the present situation in a high risk fire zone? Why
are most of Sea Vista’s newly built RDP houses below street level and thus
constantly flooded, gravel streets washed away and storm water system fully
blocked?
“When
will you ever learn ANC Kouga Council?”
The
beautiful town of Humansdorp once the
“capital” hub of the business and administration for the whole of Kouga and
Koukamma, has been allowed to go to total ruin. The functional and aesthetic Main Street is in
a filthy state with open manholes that are generally used as rubbish bins, and streets
and pavements in urgent need of repairs. The caravan park has been downgraded to
the status of an overnight camp for labourers, while service delivery in
suburbs like Arcadia and Kruisfontein is deemed totally inadequate by the
inhabitants. The sewerage system is a huge health risk with inhabitants living
a few meters away from the unsecured sewerage plant in Kwanomzamo, where
children have drowned in the past.
Once
again the ANC Kouga Council must respond to Humansdorp residents: “When will you ever learn?”
The
ANC regime in Kouga also needs to be held accountable for the decay of the town
of Hankey where once historical
landmarks like Dr Phillip’s grave; the unique Yellowwoods caravan park, the
Phillip’s tunnel; and the old sun dial; are either completely destroyed or are
in a sad state of decay. Even the more recent Sarah Baartman’s grave site in
Hankey needs attention.
Jeffreys Bay is yet another example
where decay set in after the beautiful tourist resort was compelled to
surrender its autonomous municipal status in 2001. The ANC regime in the Kouga municipality
needs to give answers as to why the infrastructure was allowed to deteriorate to
a level where the Waste Water works does not comply with the specifications of the
department of Water Affairs, and the quality of drinking water supplied by the
boreholes is unacceptable. The public toilets in the down town areas are a
disgrace while the central business area, that attracts thousands of tourists
annually, has been allowed through neglect to degenerate and become a haunt for
the many menacing and unofficial car guards. The meagre municipal financial
support to the tourist offices in Jeffreys Bay, St Francis Bay, Hankey and
Humansdorp, is also negligent as was the
decision to give notice to the Ski Club to evacuate their premises.
Oh, will they ever learn?
Or is it more appropriate for Kouga
to demand a regime change?
