Use R7.7m for the poor

“DA caucus walks out of meeting” (DD, November 15) refers. I was amazed and disgusted that the ANC-led BCM council has approved the use of R7.7m for music festivals and parties.

I am a resident of Igoda/Winterstrand on the west coast of East London near the informal settlement of Santini/Overton/ Igoda. The residents of this settlement are totally ignored by BCM. Just recently, they had no water for about three weeks.

Those employed at Winterstrand and Coral Beach Estate have to lug 25-litre drums of water for about 5km to their homes, if they can’t find assistance with transport.

Santini/Overton has no toilets and people have to relieve themselves ehlatini (in the bush), which is unsafe and unsanitary. Sometimes they have to use their hard-earned paraffin to clean themselves before going to bed.

Is this acceptable for any human being, Mr Pakati and councillors? You don’t have to endure this when returning from a festival or party.

The Overton school was closed in 2017 and the building is unoccupied, being vandalised. Couldn’t it be used for a hall, crèche or clinic? The toilets have no water, the roofs are gone and the road to Santini/Overton is just about impassable.

Less parties, and let’s give this community something to celebrate. Your R7.7m is not for the poor who vote for you, but for the more advantaged who have found another way of defrauding SA through lucrative tenders for event organisation, with funds going to other companies close to government.

– Mike Harrison, Winterstrand