Reaksie op Watkins se tirade

Japie Bosch skryf soos volg:

“Graag antwoord ek op Trevor Watkins se tirade [klik hier om dit te lees] oor my opsomming van die jongste algemene jaarvergadering (AJV) van die Jeffreysbaaise Inwonersvereniging, soos berig op 24 Februarie 2012 in The Courier - Die Koerier [klik hier om dit te lees].

Ter aanvang:  een van Trevor se swakhede is dat hy nie Afrikaans mooi verstaan, begryp en kan lees nie.  Dis jammer, want sy reaksie skep wanvoorstellings.  Dis net so jammer dat Watkins onverwagte karaktereienskappe van homself openbaar.  Voorts, Watkins was nie by die vergadering teenwoordig nie.  Hy veroorloof hom dus oningeligte kommentaar.

As rapporteur het ek verslag gedoen oor my waarnemings. Dit was nie ek wat DA-politikus, Elza van Lingen, stilgemaak het nie.  Dit was die waarnemende voorsitter, dr. Gustav Barnard, wat dit inderdaad op gepaste wyse gedoen het.  Nêrens het ek ‘n mening uitgespreek dat sy “op ongeskikte wyse” moes ophou praat nie. Dit was dat dr. Barnard wat haar laat verstaan het haar praattyd is verstreke.  Net soos die grootste deel van die gehoor (altemit die hele gehoor) het ek niks fout daarmee gevind nie.

Die feit dat die DA-raadslede die vergadering ná Van Lingen se toespraak padgegee het, is nuuswaardig.  Daarom is dit gerapporteer.  Dit het vreemd voorgekom.

Die dag ná die vergadering het ek ‘n telefoongesprek met dr. Barnard gehad.  Daartydens het hy sy misnoë te kenne gegee oor Van Lingen se politieke misbruik van die vergadering.  Hy het ook te kenne gegee dat hy ‘n brief hieroor aan haar gaan skryf.  ‘n E-pos van hom hieroor aan die nuwe voorsitter van die vereniging, Paul Hjul, het my bereik.  Hjul het op sy beurt geskryf:  “As the chairperson of the association I will be writing to Ms van Lingen to establish whether there has been any misunderstanding between the JBRA and herself; as well as to apprise her of the complaints which I have received”.

Dit was ook dr. Barnard wat die inligting oor verkiesing van die nuwe bestuur tydens die vergadering aan my bevestig het.

Watkins verwys ook na die AJV van 2011 waartydens ek die sekretaris was.  Hy het ‘n eiertjie te lê oor kernbesluite wat nie goedgekeur is nie.  Dis onwaar.  Die hersiene grondwet van die vereniging is in totaal, sonder teëstem, goedgekeur.  Die Afrikaans en Engels was keurig.  Dit kan nie gesê word van die wysigings wat vanjaar voorgelê is nie.

My berig is geskryf om inligting weer te gee wat nie elders weergegee sou word nie.  Daarom het ek nie na Watkins se voorsittersverslag verwys nie.  Die Inwonersvereniging het sy eie blog waar die verslag (eers 12 dae later) gepubliseer is.  Bowendien het The Courier - Die Koerier ‘n skakel op sy blog na die vereniging se blog.  Hoekom dupliseer?

Die “gemors” waarna my berig verwys het, wentel hoofsaaklik om twee sake:

·      Die trant van Van Lingen se toespraak en die DA-raadslede se optrede daarna en

·      die gesukkel om ‘n bestuur vir die vereniging verkies te kry.  In dié verband het ek al tevore in die plaaslike media berig oor die afsydigheid van die inwoners teenoor die vereniging.  Watkins het my met dié berig gelukgewens.

Watkins het my berig oor die jongste AJV verkeerd gelees.”

Ludwig Vorster skryf soos volg:

“Watkins sit die pot mis oor my betrokkenheid by die Jeffreysbaaise Inwonersvereniging. Ek wás ‘n gekoöpteerde lid van die bestuurskomitee, maar was weens persoonlike redes nie verkiesbaar tydens die daarvolgende jaarvergadering in 2011 nie. Sy bewering dat ”if he had stayed on the committee he could have helped check … “ is dus absurd.

Ek weet dat die Voorsitter nie teenwoordig kon gewees het nie weens die tragiese afsterwe van sy eggenote wat die oggend gebeur het. My kritiek was nie op sy leierskap nie maar ten opsigte van die wanordelike aanloop tot en verloop van die vergadering. Lees gerus wat ek te sê gehad het deur hier te klik.

Ten slotte: Afrikaans is ‘n mooi, beskrywende en maklik verstaanbare taal. Watkins se gebrek aan waardering en begrip daarvan, strek hom gewis nie tot eer nie.”

[Korrespondensie oor hierdie aangeleentheid word hiermee afgesluit – The Courier – Die Koerier]

Former Chairman of the JBRA vents his spleen

This blog article was written by Trevor Watkins in his personal capacity, and not on behalf of the current or previous JBRA committee.

Having wreaked havoc within the ranks of the local DA, the “The Courier – Die Koerier” has now turned its school-masterly eye towards the Jeffreys Bay Residents Association. It is so easy to attack the people nearest you, while ignoring the real and dangerous opponents at a distance.

Japie Bosch, the Jeffreys Bay equivalent of Georgie W Bush, described the recent JBRA AGM as “’n gemors van ‘n gemors ….”, because the meeting started late and a politician spoke for too long, as though this were an unusual occurrence in South Africa these days, or in the past.  He then maunders on about Elza Van Lingen, complains because the meeting chair did NOT rudely interrupt the guest speaker (as he no doubt would have done), then reports that the DA councillors walked out of the meeting (as though this was a new or unusual event). Finally, he gets his facts wrong about the make-up of the new committee. The JBRA is indeed fortunate to have a young and enthusiastic new chairman. Most, if not all, of the existing committee has agreed to stay on, myself included, and I believe a new person has offered their services.

Japie conveniently forgets that the AGM he organised the previous year failed to keep a register of attendees, failed to get key changes to the constitution passed because they were poorly thought through, and had a guest speaker who was later dismissed from the municipality under questionable circumstances. His entire committee, with 1 exception, were not available for re-election, leaving the task of forming a new committee entirely to yours truly.

Presumably Japie did not wait for the chairman’s report, read in absentia. So he did not report on the 10 fold increase in registered membership of the JBRA since his time on the committee. He had nothing to say about the new website, the Mobilitate issue reporting system, the new CPF functionality, the email discussion group, the regular newsletters and general meetings, the revival of FEKRRA, and the new legal dispute mechanism recently instituted. No, because the council employee opened the hall late, and the meeting went on a bit long, all he could see was “’n gemors”.

Ludwig Vorster, a former member of the committee who resigned without a word of explanation (at least to me), obviously prefers to be outside the tent spitting in. If he had stayed on the committee he could have helped check the hall booking 3 times in the prior week, he could have made an arrangement with a municipal official the week before to ensure at least 120 chairs were available, and he could have arrived at the hall early to ensure everything was on track. Instead, in his absence, the chairman did all these things, despite having other issues to deal with too.  If Ludwig had stayed on the committee, he could draft the angry letter to the municipality demanding to know why the facilities were not available as arranged. Instead, someone else will need to undertake that task.  Like Japie, all Ludwig could see is what was wrong with the situation. As Churchill said, it takes some intelligence to see what is right.

Ludwig must also remember that when he sings “De La Rey”, many others will also sing of Biko and Hani. I am deeply grateful that, despite all our problems in South Africa, we are still able to discuss most of the problems peacefully.

The JBRA committee and I put a lot of effort into achieving our 3 goals in this last year. We are now the biggest residents association in terms of registered members in Kouga. We have engaged frequently with the municipal officials, and achieved some successes. FEKRRA is back as a viable force in our local politics.

Nevertheless, given the responses of these 2 bloggers, and the low level of involvement in the JBRA from most residents, I personally don’t think it was worth the effort.

Jeffreysbaaier ontgogel

Hier volg uittreksels uit 'n e-pos wat The Courier - Die Koerier van Ludwig Vorster af ontvang het:

"Die Jeffreysbaaise Inwonersvereniging se [onlangse] Algemene Jaarvergadering het geen kans gestaan van die begin af nie.

Die feit dat die saal laat oopgesluit is, dat daar nie genoeg stoele beskikbaar was nie, dat die luidsprekerstelsel nie beskikbaar was nie [is onverskoonbaar]. En dan word daar ‘n DA politieke toespraak gehou met ‘n klomp sinnelose ou  gemors. Dit het die hele proses verongeluk en het meer skade aan Jeffreysbaai se beeld gedoen as al die gemors wat ons alreeds in ons dorpie aangaan. Ek kry die indruk dat die toekoms vir ons Jeffreysbaaiers duister is.

Kan ons nie begin om Delarey Delarey laat jy die Jeffreysbaaiers kom lei sing nie? Hier het ek nog niemand gesien wat daardie eienskappe het nie. 

Ek is een bitter teleurgestelde inwoner van Jeffreysbaai  en ek dink daar is ‘n paar ander wat ook so voel. Japie [Bosch] ek is bly dat jy al die raadslede wat die saal verlaat het, genoem het (klik hier om berig te lees). Ek hoop nie hulle verwag ons stemme met die volgende verkiesing nie. My stem sal hulle beslis nie kry nie."

Chairman of JBRA responds to Van Lingen's speech

Below are excerpts from a report on the recent AGM of the Jeffreys Bay Residents' Association, by the Chairman, Paul Hjul:

"The Jeffrey’s Bay Residents Association (the JBRA) is, to use a bit of jargon, a voluntary association and a community based organization. As such it holds an annual general meeting at which the membership make essential decisions concerning the organization. The AGM for 2012 was held at Newton Hall on Wednesday 22nd February with the Honourable Ms Elza van Lingen as the special guest speaker.

General consensus appears to be that the special address delivered had a general effect of undermining the principal business aspects of the AGM, and causing harm to the association’s credibility as an independent community based organization. This requires me to make some comment, albeit with trepidation.

The JBRA is not a political party, nor is it aligned to any political party. The decision to invite the Honourable Ms Elza van Lingen was not intended to suggest any alignment with the politics of Ms van Lingen. Instead the invitation was afforded to a senior office bearer in the Parliament of the Republic and our provincial legislature. A person who has considerable knowledge on issues relating to this area. In previous years invitations have been extended to the Mayor of the Kouga Municipality - who was a member of a different political party.

As the chairperson of the association I will be writing to Ms van Lingen to establish whether there has been any misunderstanding between the JBRA and herself; as well as to apprise her of the complaints which I have received. However I believe it to be inappropriate for me, or the organization to comment on what Ms van Lingen should or should not have done with the platform afforded to her at the AGM of the JBRA. I therefore only ask that the public understand that at functions of this nature the person afforded the privilege of delivering the address is customarily afforded a great deal of latitude. They may express opinions which are not those of the organization. It has therefore happened around the world that university graduations have been on occasion marked by an address to the graduates which thoroughly (and even unfairly) criticises the University. As an organization in an open and democratic society - which prizes freedom - the idea of controlling an invited guest is not only inhospitable but also repugnant to our ethos.

However, the incident does highlight the fact that the major political parties in South Africa are on a path that threatens the autonomy and integrity of residents and ratespayers associations. In light of this, after fully apprising myself of the situation and in consultation with other residents and ratespayers associations, I will write to the leadership of the major political parties to express the concerns. I trust that these steps are sufficient to put the potentially divisive matter to rest."

JBRA responds to "Soek sélf inligting - DA"

Paul Hjul, Chairman of the Jeffreys Bay Residents' Association, wrote as follows:

"I am writing to you in connection with the article (click here to read) by Japie Bosch on the JBRA Annual General Meeting appearing in The Courier - Die Koerier. I have released a report (click here to read) on the AGM which also seeks to address some of the controversy created at the AGM without creating further controversy. The AGM report essentially covers the same subject as the article - which has been brought to my attention by quite a few people - and whilst it is not intended as a reply to Mr Bosch's article it can easily read as one."

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.

Fire service levy

The Jeffreys Bay Residents' Association reports that Kouga residents will be required to pay a fire service levy from July 2012. Read more ...