WHERE HAVE ALL THE QUAINT KOUGA VILLAGES GONE?

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?