Councillors only interested in their handsome salary cheques

PHILIP Bam, secretary, Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance (“Developers must heed concerns of the people”, Argus opinion, Friday, December 27) is correct that developers don’t have an inalienable right to develop anywhere they wish while ignoring the concerns of residents.

But they do so with the full backing of the City of Cape Town who don’t take the concerns of social activists seriously, mainly because they cry wolf too often.

According to the fable, the little village boy kept warning the residents about a non-existent wolf. Finally when one did arrive the villagers ignored his warnings – and we all know what happened.

But Bam is wrong when he says, “It is also long overdue that councillors … should act in the best interests of the citizens who elected them.”

The citizens didn’t elect anyone; they voted for a party, whether it was the DA, the ANC, the ACDP or the FF, and they foisted the councillors on us. That’s why there is no accountability .Ask anyone who has had a problem with their water or electricity meter how long it has taken for the issue to be resolved.

Ebrahim Wydeman’s letter, (”Water leaks expose flaws in City’s claims) in the same edition says it all. It’s about a family who have been without water for a week and a burst pipe in Kraaifontein which has been pumping out drinking water for a month.

The City’s response is always that they will attend to it shortly but it is always a lot longer than shortly.

And if you do complain directly to your councillor who has a watching brief over these issues the operative word is watching.

Very few councillors have the interests of ratepayers at heart.

They’re just interested in their handsome salary cheque at the end of the month.

BRIAN JOSS | Milnerton