Die DA moet (eers) vergeet van Kouga oorneem

Japie Bosch

Daar is al geruime tyd sprake dat die DA ‘n kans het om die beheer van die Kouga-munisipaliteit oor te neem.  Die hoop is dat dit kan gebeur as mnr. Earl Hill, ANC-raadslid vir Pellsrus, onder druk swig en bedank sodat ‘n tussenverkiesing gehou kan word.

Dog, dit lyk onwaarskynlik.

Hill is adjunk-hoof by ‘n laerskool.  Daar is glo geruime tyd klagtes dat sy verpligtinge as deeltydse raadslid sy werk by die skool laat skade ly.  As gevolg hiervan het Hill, volgens ‘n betroubare bron, al twee keer bedank, maar die ANC wil hom nie laat gaan nie.

Hy word as‘t ware in watte toegedraai, want die ANC weet sy vertrek sal die moeder van tussenverkiesings in Kouga meebring.

Die ANC regeer tans met 15 raadslede teenoor die DA se 14.  Die DA sal alles moontlik doen om te wen om die syfers om te draai.   En daar is goeie kans dat hulle dit sal regkry, want Pellsrus is wenbaar.  Maar Hill moet eers padgee.

Daarby word Bruin kiesers al meer keelvol vir die ANC, omdat daar toenemend teen hulle gediskrimineer word.  Die afgelope naweek is dit opnuut belig.  Daar is berig dat die Wes-Kaapse Department van Korrektiewe Dienste (DKD) weier om sy Bruin werknemers te bevorder, want die die nasionale amptenary oefen druk uit op die provinsie om meer Swart werknemers te kry.

Verlede jaar het mnr Jimmy Manyi, regeringswoordvoerder, ‘n storm veroorsaak toe hy gesê het daar is “te veel Bruin mense in die Wes-Kaap”.

Hierdie soort uitsprake sal ook ‘n kwelling vir Kouga se Bruin mense wees, want hul getalle maak sowat 51 persent van die bevolking in die munisipale gebied uit.  In ‘n tussenverkiesing sal die DA dit tot die uiterste uitbuit.

Terug by Hill en sy onderwyswerk.  Die ANC as ‘n politieke party is nie ten gunste daarvan dat onderwysers raadslede is en twee salarisse verdien nie, maar daar is nie wetgewing wat dit verbied nie.

Vier maande gelede het me Julie Killian van COPE in die parlement vrae gevrae oor onderwysers wat raadslede is.  Die Minister van Basiese Onderwys, het geantwoord dat wetgewing vir die volgende voosiening maak:
·       “  … educators elected as part-time municipal councillors may continue as employees, but seek approval in terms of section 30 of the Public Service Act, 1994 (as amended) and section 33 of the Employment of Educators Act, 1999, from their executive authority (Minister/MEC) to receive remuneration.
·      “Part-time elected councillors must perform their duties outside working hours. If such employees (educators) have to perform work during official working hours, approval from the executive authority must be obtained.”  (Klik HIER vir die volledige teks.)

Hill het glo toestemming hiervoor gekry.  Daar is dus niks wat hom verplig om te loop nie.

Maar dit is die gemeenskap wat wil hê hy moet uit die raad padgee.  Dis veral die skoolouers wat kla dat hy te veel van die skool afwesig is en nie sy werk kan doen nie.

Deeltydse raadslede vertel dat hulle maklik 20 ure per maand in kantoortyd aan vergaderings moet afstaan.  ‘n Raadslid wat ‘n wyk verteenwoordig en sy werk doen, bestee minstens nog 30 na 40 ure per maand aan sy werk.  Hill is dus maklik minstens een dag ‘n week nie by die skool nie.

Hill weet sy toekoms lê by die onderwysdepartement.  Een van die dae kan hy skoolhoof word.  Boonop is hy in die onderwys, anders as in die politiek, verseker van sy werk en ‘n goeie pensioen eendag.

Hoekom hy ná twee bedankings nog nie weg is nie, is kom vreemd voor.  Hy wíl mos loop.

Die antwoord hiervoor moet gesoek word by die wyse waarop die ANC politiek bedryf.  Terwyl die ANC weet daar is ‘n risiko dat hy ‘n tussenverkiesing kan verloor en die beheer van Kouga met sy R500 miljoen-begroting aan die DA sal afstaan, sal Hill met fluweelhandskoene hanteer word.

Dít maak die kanse skraal dat Hill in die afsienbare toekoms sal oppak en groet.   Vir eers moet die DA vergeet van Kouga oorneem.

Intussen het Hill nie ‘n sê oor sy toekoms en sy skool se belange nie.  Daaroor voel die ANC vere. 

Van Lingen opens can of worms

In a letter to Our Times on 15 February, DA MP Elza van Lingen asks a few awkward questions about the involvement of former mayor, Robbie Dennis and present ANC Councillor, Earl Hill in the affairs of the Jeffreys Bay Community Trust.

It appears that the original owners of the Fountains Development gave the trust an amount of R931 326 over a period of five years.

The trust was supposed to have been administered by the municipality. As such, the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) requires that all moneys should have been banked in the name of the municipality and controlled by the municipal manager as the accounting officer.

However, this was not done and the trust operated as a private entity.

Dennis and Hill were involved in the affairs of the trust for which they had been paid salaries totalling R297 000. This left an amount of R653 326 unaccounted for.

“So where did the money go?” she asks. “There is no evidence that any community development project received any money from the trust. It is in the public interest for us to be informed what happened to the funds and who benefited from the trust.”

According to a municipal spokesman both Dennis and Hill declared their interests in the trust.

“This,” Van Lingen says, “will also be probed as our information is the complete opposite.”

In view of the perceived mismanagement of the Trust, Van Lingen questions Hill’s trustworthiness as chairman of the municipal oversight committee. This also applies to the municipal public accounts committee on which he serves.

Openbare ruimte 2434

Barry Vosloo

Op 19 Oktober 2011 het The Courier – Die Koerier ‘n berig geplaas oor raadslid Thiart se pogings om ‘n ou-ou problem in Planestraat weer eens onder die aandag van die Kouga-munisipaliteit te bring en aan te dring dat iets aan die saak gedoen word. Klik hier om die volledige berig te lees.

Die eienaars van die eiendomme aan weerskante van die parkeerplek waarvandaan ‘n mens die Noorkapper-walvisse kan dophou en wat bekend staan as Openbare Ruimte 2434, is raadop. Hulle is al jare lank bekommerd oor die skadelike uitwerking van die parkeerplek op die duin en die duineplantegroei. Die Kouga-munisipaliteit het egter tot dusver weinig ag op hulle pleidooie geslaan ten spyte van die feit dat die eienaars bereid is om self die koste van die herstelwerk te dra.

The Courier – Die Koerier wonder of die probleem al opgelos is? Indien nie, waarom nie?

Inwoners moet self eis van KM

Piet Liebenberg

Our Times, 15 Februarie 2011

INWONERS van die Kouga wat ontevrede is oor hul munisipale rekening moet dit self met die munisipaliteit uitklaar, sê die munisipale woordvoerder, Mfundo Sobele.

Hy sê die munisipaliteit gaan nie outomatiese regstellings maak nie. Inwoners sal slegs ‘n krediet ontvang indien hulle die munisipaliteit direk kontak.

Our Times het navraag hieroor gedoen na hulle oorval is met klagtes van inwoners wat beweer die munisipaliteit het hul onregmatig aangeslaan.

Na ‘n ondersoek is bevind dat meters soms laat gelees word wat dan veroorsaak dat inwoners teen ‘n hoër tarief aangeslaan word. Veral oor Desember en in Augustus verlede jaar toe van die personeel gestaak het, is die meters laat gelees.

In Desember was meterlesings sowat 41 dae na die vorige een geneem. Inwoners moes dus vir vyf tot ses weke se verbruik betaal. Omdat tariewe verhoog namate verbruik verhoog, het dit veroorsaak dat hulle meer moes betaal.

Sobele sê slegs sekere dele van Jeffreysbaai en Humansdorp word hierdeur geraak. [Watter dele? – The Courier – Die Koerier]

“Die probleem het ontstaan as gevolg van personeel wat gewone en siekverlof geneem het. Die siklus wissel gewoonlik tussen 30 en 33 dae, maar in sekere gevalle mag dit gebeur dat lesings laat geneem word,” sê Sobele.

Die voorsitter van die Jeffreysbaaise Inwonersvereniging, Trevor Watkins, het sy verbasing uitgespreek dat ‘n organisasie wat sowat 40% van sy begroting aan personeel bestee, die vermetelheid het om ‘n tekort aan personeel as verskoning aan te bied.

“Ek het twee dae tevergeefs probeer om kommentaar te kry van die waarnemende finansiële direkteur, Carlien Burger of die waarnemende munisipale bestuurder, Sydney Fadi,” sê Watkins.

Volgens Watkins gaan die munisipaliteit nie outomaties rekenings aanpas nie maar sal inwoners self die munisipaliteit moet nader.

Die DA se LP Elza van Lingen het ook gesê dit is onverskoonbaar dat lesings nie behoorlik gelees word nie terwyl die munisipaliteit met te veel personeel sit.

Make disputes legal

Piet Liebenberg

Our Times, 8 February 2012

INDIVIDUAL ratepayers and residents with a specific problem should formally declare a dispute with the Kouga Local Municipality (KM) through legal channels.

This, says Trevor Watkins, chairman of the Jeffreys Bay Residents’ Association (JBRA), is preferred over a widespread rates boycott.

He said: "Many ratepayers and residents of Jeffreys Bay have ongoing disputes with the municipality over issues such as property valuation, sewage removal, water quality, rates and services payments, and so on.

"In most cases the KM deals with these disputes in its own good time, or fails to deal with them at all, while the ratepayer keeps paying and waiting for a resolution of a sometimes urgent problem.”

Watkins said a widespread rates boycott would need the support of many thousands of residents, many of whom did not have a current, specific problem with the municipality. In addition, a widespread rates boycott would not solve specific problems, but would address governance in the KM as a whole.

He said once the dispute had been declared, the KM had to formally respond to the dispute in writing through its legal department, and all disputed payments, levies and fines may be held in suspension until the resolution of the dispute.

The JBRA has reached an agreement with Blignault & Vennote, a firm of attorneys in Jeffreys Bay, to assist residents with formally filing a letter of dispute with the KM for a fee of R80. This does not include further legal advice, or an assessment of the merits of the case.

Any further legal costs will be for the account of the resident.

Watkins also reminded members and other residents of the annual general meeting of the JBRA on Wednesday February 22 at the Newton Hall at 6 pm. Elza van Lingen, leader of the opposition in the National Council of Provinces, will be the guest speaker.

Infrastructure is only one part of the job-creation puzzle

Helen Zille, Leader of the Democratic Alliance
13 February 2012

President Jacob Zuma's fourth State of the Nation speech last week shows that, at last, the ANC government is coming to terms with the role of the state in facilitating job-creating economic growth.

There is a growing consensus in the centre of SA politics that sustainable job-creating growth is driven by the private sector, especially small, medium and micro enterprises. The job of the state is to create an environment that will attract and retain investment, entrepreneurship and skills.

In a globalised economy, the state must ensure that the conditions exist for SA businesses to be internationally competitive. A key component of this is the provision of excellent infrastructure, including water, energy, technology, transport and roads, sewage systems etc. It is one of the key roles of the state to lead in the development of infrastructure that creates a platform for growth.

We welcome the fact that the President focused on this aspect of the state's role in increasing South Africa's competitiveness. Without this we cannot attract investment, grow the economy and create jobs.

But infrastructure is only one aspect of the state's role in increasing a country's economic competitiveness.

There are many other roles the state must play, and this is where the President's speech fell short last week. Click here to read more. 

The Courier – Die Koerier slaan nuwe koers in

Barry Vosloo

Inleiding

The Courier – Die Koerier het ‘n gedaanteverwisseling ondergaan. Soos die nuwe mashoof aantoon, sal dit voortaan as ‘n onafhanklike politieke blog bedryf word. Klik hier om toegang te verkry. 

Voorheen was dit die spreekbuis vir die Kouga DA, Wyk 3.

What is a blog … ?

Wikipedia defines a blog as follows: “A blog (a portmanteau of the term web log) is a personal journal published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete entries ("posts"). Blogs are usually the work of a single individual, and often are themed on a single subject.”

… en ‘n politieke blog?

‘n Oud-joernalis en tans ‘n inwoner van Jeffreysbaai, Japie Bosch, het die volgende te sê oor ‘n politieke blog: “‘n Blog van hierdie aard is niks anders nie as ‘n mini-koerant. Dit [skep] die geleentheid tot openbare debat.  Die moderne politiek leen hom daartoe.  Dit bied gedagtewisseling.  Dis gesond.  Dit bied wedersydse kontak tussen die kiesers en politici.”

What does the new The Courier – Die Koerier hope to achieve?

Firstly, it will provide its readers with a selection of local political news and views. Secondly, The Courier - Die Koerier will cast its net further afield, i.e. websites, newspapers and news agencies, in search of fresh political news from elsewhere.

Hierbenewens sal lesers aangemoedig word om die blog as ‘n platform vir hulle eie politieke standpunte te gebruik. Dit sal plaaslike politici die moeite loon om kennis te neem van wat die mense op grondvlak te sê het.

The blog supports the political philosophy of the Democratic Alliance without being a yes-man. Therefore, if the DA deserves to be criticised The Courier – Die Koerier will not hesitate to do so.

The Courier – Die Koerier sal oudergewoonte Afrikaans sowel as Engels gebruik. Berigte sal nie vertaal word nie.

How can readers send local political news and views to The Courier – Die Koerier?

The procedure is described in the side-bar on the right-hand side. The relevant heading is, “HOTLINE”. If a correspondent wishes to remain anonymous, his or her identity will not be disclosed.

Hoe kan lesers aan politieke gesprekke deelneem?

Die prosedure word in die sypaneel op regterhand verduidelik. Die tersaaklike opskrif is: "Sê JOU sê".

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The procedure is described in the side-bar on the right-hand side. The relevant heading is, “SUBSCRIBE TO THE COURIER - DIE KOERIER”.