Municipal rate increase imminent

Hy presented the budget at the Ward 1 Mayoral Roadshow that was held at Laerskool Warmbad to residents and stakeholders and they had the opportunity to provide inputs and comments.

The meeting was also attended by the Mayor, Councilor Gloria Seleka,Ward Councilors, and Heads of Departments. The attendance by residents was negligible, but despite this, the points and concerns raised were valid and noteworthy.

JeeDee Cloete, Ward Councilor of the Freedom Front Plus (FF+), opened the proceedings and emphasized the importance of public participation. He stated that the residents within the municipality are the ‘shareholders of the municipality’, and that the municipality must consider the wants and needs of its residents.

Andries van der Heyde from the Democratic Alliance (DA) raised a concern about the outcome of the average increase of 4,9% on the pensioners and residents of lower income who reside in town. He vowed that the DA will keep a close eye on the implementation of the budget and stressed that this is only a draft document. He reiterated the fact that public participation is vitally important. He asked residents to attend the other scheduled meetings to bring their concerns to the table.

Cloete on the other hand was not so much concerned about the low attendance and said that they have an effective way of communicating with residents and issues raised by them are handled on an ad hoc basis. Both councilors agreed that there are fewer problems than in the last three years.

The improvement in service delivery was praised and Cloete said although historical needs have been addressed, there is still a long way to go.

The dark streets with little or no street lights are a huge concern as criminal activities are rive when it’s dark. Grobler Street and Chris Hani Drive will get immediate attention. Cloete urged residents to become involved and report any suspicious activities. “It is due to vandalism and theft that we are in this predicament.”

The good news is that RAL (Limpopo Road Agency) will upgrade 16 streets and it will alleviate budget constraints. The surfaces of our roads are in a dire state.

Resident attendees urged the municipality to utilize the experts and knowledge of people who reside here to the town’s benefit. With this valuable input, money can be saved and service delivery can improve. Ramagaga commented that they will take this offer into serious consideration and consult with all stakeholders.

In a brief statement, Mayor Seleka urged residents not to wait for the roadshows to raise their concerns, to keep in touch with their Ward Councilors and the Municipal Manager, and to keep pressuring them on issues of concern. She emphasized that she is willing to personally intervene in any issue if the need should arise. She also noted that many concerns were raised regarding the Noodhulp and Roodepoort areas, and she considers these as priority areas within the municipality.

On a lighter note, Cloete wanted to thank all the people who contacts him every day with complaints. He said that this was the only way that concerns could be heard and it forced them to do their jobs.

As councilor of Ward 1 Cloete stated that he had been working hand in glove with the municipality and that the FF+ has had much better insight into the current budget than ever before. The job of the FF+ was not to point fingers, but to work together and improve matters within the municipality, and there is a clear indication that many improvements have occurred. His main concern is the Organogram (Structure) of the municipality which drives increases, but this is a long-term project that needs to be addressed, he concluded.