GRAAFF-REINET NEWS - Approximately 50 Graaff-Reinet municipal Ward 2 residents were left in the dark at ward meeting on Tuesday 20 August.
Councillor Ricardo Smith informed the residents that the Municipal Manager Dr Eddie Rankwana, as well as the Chief Financial Officer Heleen Kok, would not attend the meeting.
Residents hoped to, among other queries, raise their concerns about the recent increase in water tariffs. Residents were led to believe that all the Dr Beyers Naudé Municipality representatives meant to attend the meeting, were instead summoned to a workshop.
However, Smith submitted evidence that the workshop was called off. He quoted a WhatsApp message from a senior municipal official, Ewald Look, as proof.
On Wednesday 21 August, Acting Municipal Spokesperson Wilca Smith told the Advertiser that municipal staff cannot respond to issues raised by the community in a ward meeting. "It is the responsibility of the ward councillor to attend to the issues," she said. "Further to this, there was a two-day meeting scheduled for 20 and 21 August that had to be cancelled due to other urgent matters."
Councilor Ricardo Smith. Photos: Christo Vermaak
Despite the municipality's absence, the meeting went ahead, and Clr Smith was asked to submit the agenda to Rankwana and other municipal directors.
"It is heartbreaking to see that the officials are not here, while the community is in dire straits for answers," Clr Smith said.
On the issue of drought tariffs, ward committee member Liz Savage said the municipality knew a drought was coming our way. "No steps were taken by the municipality. Now we are left with astronomic costs."
Other community members also voiced their concerns. "Do we have to burn down the town and rebuild it ourselves?" one man asked. Another encouraged the attendees to become involved in politics, and said, "our politicians cannot do their job, so we have to stand up for the sake of our town."
Read a previous article | Graaff-Reinet: New water tariffs
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