Municipal promises not being kept
Residents’ body decries lack of action on issues
THE Queenstown Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association has indicated it will take action against the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) on issues relating to water tariffs, accounts and meter readings.
Speaking at the meeting in the town hall, chairman Tokkie Deysel said they had written to CHDM informing them that consensus on the costs of water in the Lukhanji area had not been reached. Another area of dissent was water accounts which were not being received.
An earlier meeting with chief financial officer Nomfundo Fetsha led to a promise that accounts would be delivered by the end of April but this had not materialised.
“We have done everything possible and have tried our best, but the municipality is doing nothing to solve the problems.”
Deysel encouraged people to pay water accounts or they would end up with huge arrears.
“The policy states that if you have a problem pay an average amount and put your query in writing. If the municipality goes on with tariffs and basic water charges we and other organisations will take action,” he said.
CHDM councillors were paid salaries as a Grade 4 municipality.
“There are no meaningful negotiations between us and CHDM at present. We are not convinced indigent registers of Lukhanji and CHDM are up to date,” he said, adding that the association planned to take its grievances to national level.
Executive member Eddie Luppnow said the problem started when CHDM took over water services.
“Some people had problems with accounts and we met the municipality last year and tried to resolve it. They promised to provide user friendly accounts, that meters would be cleaned and now over 50% are neither cleaned nor read. We are waiting for the correct, user-friendly accounts. We also want to know how they established tariffs.”
He encouraged people to join the association and attend meetings. “Our next step is to ask you what you want us to do and if it means court then we will (go).”
DA councillor Chris de Wet said the matter should be escalated to parliamentary level. “Another route is for the opposition parties to ask (the questions) in Bhisho or the national parliament in Cape Town because the problem with the legal route is funding,” he said.
Luppnow emphasised that the association was not linked to any political party.
Member Edric Russell said other issues were broken street lights and illegal dumping. “Illegal dumping is taking place all over and there is il- legal slaughtering in Bert Strauss Street.”
The association had been told that illegal workshops in town would be given a place to work out of town but this had not happened.
Peet van der Walt said the site of the refuse tip, which had been highlighted in The Rep recently (“Trouble at the tip” June 12) was not the problem. The lack of management was, he said, adding that moving the tip would be expensive when the real problem was mismanagement.
Illegal dumping was escalating as people had to pay up to R90 to deliver refuse.
Talks had been held with the municipality about speeding between Komani Hospital and town, with promises made that cameras would be installed. “That road is a death trap.”
Speaking about the contentious proposed amalgamation of Lukhan- ji, Tsolwana and Inkwanca municipalities, Luppnow said the residents of Queenstown would end up paying for other people’s water and services.
Deysel said the only people who would benefit from the merger were the politicians because their salaries would increase.
“We will have three dysfunctional municipalities incorporated into one. The property rates, water tariffs and other services will go up. We oppose the issue of the amalgamation - let the government give those municipalities more funds in order to develop.”
Deysel said the association had only been invited to the stakeholders’ meeting after it had started (‘Merger in the spotlight’ The Rep, June 12).
Andries Schlebusch of the community policing forum said he had spoken to the local health inspectorate about the slaughtering of sheep in town and that indications were that this would be resolved.