Intervention in Adendorp

ADENDORP NEWS - Following a complaint from the residents of Adendorp that Ward Councillor Rudy Jacob was not providing feedback or addressing the issues facing the residents, a meeting was arranged with the DA Caucus Leader, Cllr Danie Bezuidenhout and DA Constituency Leader, Samantha Graham-Maré, MP.

"There was a great turnout of residents, who were grateful for the intervention and the opportunity to air their grievances and frustrations," said Graham-Maré.

Several of the main issues raised by the residents were related to litter: the problems caused by rubbish falling off the municipal refuse trucks; the complete lack of cleaning of the town despite promises of a team of CWP workers; and sporadic refuse removal. The municipality officials are also dumping rubbish at the river, and illegal dumping is rife.

Another major concern is that a pipeline that delivers water to Adendorp has been leaking for months. At the site of the leak, local children have turned the hole into a makeshift swimming pool. When the taps are dry, the water truck rarely delivers water to Adendorp, and then only during the day when most of the residents are at work.

In connection with the huge increases in rates after the valuation process, which has seen some residents now paying in excess of 385% more, the Municipal Manager advised Cllr Bezuidenhout that he had met with Adendorp residents three weeks ago and had resolved the concerns of the residents by offering to re-open the process for objections on the valuations.

"The residents were extremely shocked at this statement," said Graham-Maré. "They advised that the MM has not been in Adendorp for months, and just that morning a delegation had arrived to see the MM for a pre-arranged meeting only to be informed that the meeting had been cancelled."

Ultimately, the major concern was a total lack of communication from the councillor and the municipality. Bezuidenhout and Graham-Maré assured them that this was not just limited to Adendorp, and that most of their complaints were almost reflected in other wards. They could also prove that the issues they had complained about, Jacobs had been trying to address.