John Hopkins writes:
My wife and I moved from Reebok Heights, Garden Route to Breyten in April last year.
We were on a mercy mission to assist in the management of my sister-in-law’s farm.
Little did we know that we were in for the shock of our lives!
Our roads in the Garden Route are in tip-top condition and the municipal services are well oiled and fully functional.
The complete opposite exists in both Breyten and Ermelo, where the focus is on providing attendance bonuses for the municipality whose service delivery is non-existent and an absolute disgrace!
The time is now to stand up as one and drill down on this unacceptable and unjust state of affairs.
We all need to stop being nice, unify and pull on the same rope!
What needs to be done?
1. Roads need to be fixed properly and professionally.
2. All clogged drains should be cleaned and maintained.
3. Residents should have access to water, a basic human right.
4. New methods should be contemplated to combat cable theft.
5. The administration process at the traffic department (vehicle license renewals, firearm licences, and so on), wherever there are bottlenecks, need to improve.
But how might we go about addressing some of these problems, you may ask?
1. All ratepayers should unite and collectively engage a trustworthy attorney and put the brakes on paying for undelivered services.
The nuts and bolts of putting this together would have to come from a clear-headed team who understand the principle that it is not about who is right, but instead what is right.
I believe there are some great people out there who can proactively make this happen! Hurt the municipality’s income and shock them into action!
2. Evidence should be gathered by way of videos and photos of non-performing municipal workers at all levels. This should be sent to the local newspapers for consideration to publish.
3. We also need to generate innovative ideas on how to better the appearance of our towns. The contribution and planting of colourful shrubs and flowers, etc, would be a good start.
I sincerely believe that if we all unify and pull on the same rope, it shall lead to a positive outcome.
In short, we all should focus on making a difference!
