Ratepayers should be on the lookout for ‘red flags’
Plettenberg Residents and Ratepayers’Association will be on the lookout for "red flags" in the new Bitou administration, to fulfil its oversight role over the municipality.
Chairperson Steve Pattinson said in his presentation at the AGM of the association on 27 March at the Piesang Valley community centre that oversight and governance "are critical" to the effective running of Bitou.
He said the town would see a constant change and an ongoing state of instability.
"Unfortunately this political instability also impacts the administration and running of our town."
He said interactions would be confrontational, but they have to be respectful.
"Oversight will remain confrontational. It would not be necessary if there weren't significant opportunities for better governance and the need to reduce waste and inefficiency - which as I always say are equal crimes against the poor as are fraud and corruption.
"But the key message of this evening is that we need to balance oversight with a focus on the future. Knysna has taught us that things happen quickly. Throughout all of this trust, mutual respect and maturity will help us build a strong and secure future for all of us," said Pattinson.
He said the community does have the necessary expertise that could be leveraged to work together with the municipality.
Pattinson also called for strengthening the influence of business in the community. "At the moment it is fragmented and there is an opportunity to have a far stronger business voice in our community," he said.
There needs to be more urgency in investment in infrastructure.
He commended former mayor Dave Swart and his team, "who achieved a lot over the last two years, especially the work on our financial situation (by achieving a clean audit); a lot of credit is due to the efforts of Felix Lotter [Bitou CFO]".
He said the Association did not have a good relationship with the previous municipal manager, but the constructive relationship it has had with Dave (Swart) as mayor and continues to have with him as the Ward 2 councillor, will hopefully continue with the new mayor, Claude Terblanche.
"Once the administration has settled down, we certainly hope we will have a new era of open engagement with the administration," he said.
Pattinson named a few critical questions Plett is facing regarding its future:
How does the town cope with the rate of population growth?
How can it be ensured that the town's infrastructure keeps up with the rate of property development?
How do we fund these increasing demands with the imbalance we have between those that pay rates and those that require support?
He added that water and water supply and distribution also remain a key issue.