The “unacceptable and poor service delivery” of the Sol
Plaatje Municipality in Kimberley is the driving force behind a meeting to
discuss ways of turning the situation around.
The meeting, hosted at the Horseshoe Inn at 17:00 on
Wednesday (16/02), is being organised by the Sol Plaatje Ratepayers’
Association.
Tumelo Mosikare, project manager, says it will not be a moan
and groan session, but a platform for business owners and residents to discuss
proposed solutions and possible actions.
Meanwhile, the DA said in a statement that the escalating
Eskom debt, along with empty coffers at the municipality, could spell dark days
ahead for Kimberley.
Mosikare says everyone knows what is wrong.
“We must act now and change the city. The current municipal
manager’s contract is ending soon, and we do not expect a capable person to be
appointed. It is up to businesses to pressure the municipality in delivering
the services that are being paid for.
“Government departments owe the municipality almost
R800 million, yet their services are never cut like those of businesses and
residents.
“Why is that? We want to meet with the municipal directors
and ask to see the accounts of the different departments as it is public
documents. We want to know why departments are not forced to pay and why the
municipality is so lenient. Why can MECs intervene and prevent services to be
cut from government departments, yet residents and businesses in arrears are duly
penalised?”
He says they expect some 150 people to attend the meeting
and approve actionable steps.
“It is a tragedy to see how dilapidated the central business
district is. Some businesses have left the city. Two major clothing retailers
have closed in the central business district, where hawkers are allowed to do
business as they wish without permits. They litter and carelessly damage
beautiful buildings. Despite bylaws, the municipality does not act.
Mosikare says they are concerned about the municipality’s
dire financial situation.
“How is it that most customers have prepaid meters, yet the
municipality owes Eskom R400 million? The crisis needs to end now.”
Peet Louw, DA councillor, says the Eskom debt has ballooned.
“If Sol Plaatje does not act to urgently renegotiate a
payment plan and adhere to it, Kimberley could be in for dark days due to
debt-induced loadshedding. Eskom could also seek to freeze Sol Plaatje’s bank
account, as it did with the Renosterberg Municipality. This will mean that,
amongst other things, salaries won’t be paid. In addition to monies owed to
Eskom, Sol Plaatje is also facing growing debt of over R100 million owed to the
Water Board.
“To aggravate the already volatile situation, the
municipality is not collecting sufficient revenue to cover its commitments. The
municipality has been experiencing a monthly shortfall of close to R40 million
for some time already.”
The newly elected government is already failing by
rectifying these unsustainable and critical issues. Chaotic and unproductive
council meetings also do not allow fruitful discussions on solutions for
critical service delivery issues.
“During this week’s rescheduled council meeting, we will
insist that service delivery issues are prioritised and that our questions
pertaining to debt and the financial state of the municipality are answered. We
want to know what the municipality is doing in respect of debt that is older than
90 days. We also want to know why the debt has gotten so high, and find out the
amount of outstanding monies owed to Sol Plaatje, by whom this money is owed,
and how Sol Plaatje is dealing with non-paying clients.”
For more information on the Sol Plaatje Ratepayers’
Association, call Mosikare (071-111-5577), Louw van Reenen (082-777-2257),
Jaime Goncalves (084-711-6201) or Hendrik Wessels (084-941-0755).
