10 IDP issues for 2011

Paul Hjul and Trevor Watkins prepared the following list of 10 items on behalf of the Jeffreys Bay Residents Association (JBRA). This list was submitted at the IDP meetings in Ward 8 and Ward 11.  

I.      JOBS

Kouga desperately needs a structural adjustment of the region’s employment situation: 

• Obstacles to job creation need to be eliminated, 
• job creating initiatives need to find root and
• the municipality needs to reduce its wage bill 

The Kouga municipality simply cannot afford to serve as an employment safety net for a select section of
the population.

II.     ATTRACTIVE TOWN

The CBD of Jeffrey’s Bay urgently requires revitalization. The improvement of the image of the CBD is vital to preserving an edge in tourism and attracting business ventures which create jobs. If Jeffrey’s Bay is felt to be a slum the limited current prosperity of the town will evaporate.

III.    TOURISM STRATEGY

The municipality and local businesses have spent large amounts of money on promoting tourism for which there are no visible returns. A comprehensive working strategy to preserve and grow our tourism sector
is needed.

IV.     BLUE FLAG

As the towns greatest single asset, the beaches need to be maintained and be seen to be maintained at the highest standards. Blue Flag status at Dolphin Beach must be a non-negotiable.

V.      TRANSPARENT LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Without efficient and transparent local government Jeffrey’s Bay cannot succeed as a town. There is a dire need for improvements in the way the municipality functions particularly with regard to issues of efficiency,
transparency and accountability.

VI.     FAIR AND EQUITABLE RATES

The residents of Jeffrey’s Bay understand the need for municipal rates and charges, but these charges must be levelled in a fair and equitable manner, and swiftly corrected when this is not the case.

VII.    CLEAN WATER

Despite the fact that potable water is a basic human right the residents of Jeffrey’s Bay frequently face brown mush flowing through their taps followed by a white stream of heavy chlorine. The municipality must rectify our water delivery infrastructure and repair or replace various pipes which deprive people of access to potable
water.

VIII.   SEWAGE

The sewage works serving Jeffrey’s Bay is a disgrace and a new treatment facility can no longer be postponed.

IX.     ROADS

Proper safe roads are vital to the town and the maintenance and repair of roads must be continuously done. It is wholly unsatisfactory for gaping potholes to plague our streets and threaten motorists and pedestrians safety.

X.      ADDRESSING EFFECTS OF INADEQUATE HOUSING PLANNING

Many of Jeffrey’s Bay’s infrastructure problems are a result of a failure by the municipal authorities to ensure that proper housing and similar development planning took place. The municipality now has a major infrastructure backlog, and our original infrastructure is required to take the strain for a built environment that is more than double the size of what the infrastructure was designed to support.