Getting on with it

The Al-Imdaad Foundation – which helped victims of xenophobic looting in Grahamstown last year – and uMkhonto Wesizwe Military Veterans Association were among those who rallied to help close on 1 000 families whose homes were damaged by hail in the eastern part of our province that killed three people this week.

In the past six weeks, the local branch of the Red Cross has assisted no fewer than 15 families in Grahamstown who have lost their homes in fires. An unconfirmed report suggests at least one person died as a result of one of these fires, from suspected smoke inhalation.

This week, hours after news broke of a break-in at the Grahamstown Feeding Association's soup kitchen that 300 people would go hungry, the Grahamstown Business Forum rallied to replace pots, an urn and a kettle that were stolen, as well as see to the repair of a gate that was damaged.

Volunteers have been working to clean up and improve our neighbourhoods - Sugarloaf Hill (residents and property owners in the area), Currie Street (Cecil Solomon with support from Grahamstown businesses) and the CBD and parts of Joza (Grahamstown Business Forum and Grahamstown Residents Association).

A little known annual observance is International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development – “an opportunity for volunteer organisations and individual volunteers to make visible their contributions – at local, national and international levels – to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals” according to the United Nations on their website. The date is 5 December, and although here in South Africa the focus at that time of the year is on the end of the school term, World Aids Day and the coming festive season, we might find time to acknowledge the important work of these organisations, whose work complements that of embattled local government institutions. Ours, Makana Municipality, is in dire straits again. With debt arrears of more than R50 million to Eskom, a regional newspaper yesterday suggested residents and businesses in Makana Municipality might not be able to switch on the Christmas lights – or any lights at all for that matter. A post by the GRA on its Facebook page last night moderates that fear, confirming that negotiations with Eskom about a new payment schedule are under way.

“Two factors to bear in mind: there are other municipalities with far higher debts to Eskom who are at greater risk of punitive action; and earlier this year when Eskom did cut power at peak hours to some Northern Cape municipalities this was successfully challenged in North Gauteng High Court and power was restored,” the Association argues. However, it also warns that Makana is becoming more indebted every month.

The Departments of Education, Health and Public Works have the poorest audit outcomes – 40% of these departments received qualified or disclaimed audit opinions compared to 13% of other departments, according to the auditor general’s final statement on its three-year audit of national and provincial governments.

This is worrying because according to the AG, these departments, core to citizens’ health and welfare, receive almost 37% of the budget.