Malcolm Kensett of Ballito writes:
Last Wednesday evening at the Umhlali School Hall, the KwaDukuza municipality presented its IDP and budget for public participation.
Two “world views” became apparent.
The municipal management’s view of the Dolphin Coast was shown in more than two hours of PowerPoint slides, supported by lots of “we plan to do” statements, slick talking and a complex, disjointed budget with no empathy for the pressing service needs of our community.
The residents’ view is of ongoing failures of essential services and our unheeded complaints regarding the repair and maintenance of streetlights, potholes and roads, poor verge maintenance, litter collection, general cleanliness and increasing electricity disruptions.
These world views talk past each other and need to be aligned if we are to reverse the gradual and steady decline currently being experienced.
More of the same will not work and something needs to change.
I attended the meeting with a sense of curiosity and hope that maybe, just maybe with new councillors and a new mayor in place we might see something different and encouraging.
Quite frankly, when I see our area (all 30 wards) going down the drain, I have no interest in national and provincial ordinances that have no positive influence on our day-to-day affairs. I have no interest in repeated promises, fancy slides, or slick talking.
We, the residents, ratepayers and our elected officials, including our mayor, all need to wake up. Our enemy is cumbersome and extensive bureaucracy nurtured by slick officials.
We have been fooled for too long and things must now change.
Madam mayor, I say this to you directly, the system is working against us, as well as you, the leader of our elected representatives.
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