Wrong target, Mr Mayor

BCM mayor Xola Pakati’s war on the scrap metal trade is ironic (“Ban Scrap Metal Trade Altogether, Pakati Urges”, DD Nov 28).

What an irrational idea, as many honest metal dealers will be punished along with the criminal element.

Let me remind you, Mr Pakati, that not so long ago many small businesses were brought to their knees by the unjust and devastating Covid-19 lockdown.

While you and all the other public “servants” received your salaries during that lockdown, many people went hungry and lost everything. Huge sums of money set aside for the poor were misappropriated by connected officials.

Why haven’t those criminals in white collars been removed from office and put in jail?

Where is your initiative to ensure that they forfeit their pensions and are not redeployed to top positions where they can continue plundering the coffers?

You lament the R1m needed to fix the Buffalo Flats bowling club yet spend millions on personal security and lavish municipal gatherings to discuss what?

The terrible state of our infrastructure is an indictment on you and your office, who clearly show no will or effort to serve the people who put you in office.

Now you want to ban all scrap dealers. Never mind that they are actually employing many people legitimately.

Perhaps if law enforcement officers patrolled visibly instead of gathering at road blocks it would prevent cables being dug up repeatedly on the Eastern beach.

The rule of law should apply equally to all but it is quite clear that the rot in this country goes way beyond the scrap dealers.

— Godfrey Thethani, via email