Rift emerges between ward 4 councillor and some committee members over R120 000 ward allocation

The Ward 4 councillor has fallen out of favour with some of his ward committee members over the R120 000 ward allocation intended to serve the community of Mountain View.

The bone of contention is how Johan Zerwick used the money; the community says the councillor did not consult with them on the projects in the area.

Ivan Ramasimong says the money could have been used to clear the crime hotspots of bushes, especially the one where Mathapelo Mampe (20) was raped and brutally killed in 2016. ‘There are lots of areas with dense bushes that need to be cut; there are dumping sites that need cleaning and there’s a community member whose house is surrounded by huge rocks in his yard. That money can be used for these projects and can create employment for the youth in the area,’ he said.

Ivan alleges that the councillor has not done any meaningful work with the R120 000 for the past three years. He adds that he has written to Zerwick about the pressing needs in the community.

‘This year, people have been cleaning small portions of the area. Where is the rest of the money going? he asked. Ivan says the people doing the work do not even come from the ward. ‘Our community is not benefiting at all. The councillor did not follow the correct procedures when he appointed the service provider,’ he said.

Another ward member, Nols Kondile says the councillor describes himself as a temporary councillor because he holds another job at the university. ‘He last held a public meeting eight months ago. He always makes excuses and says he cannot do much for the community because the ANC is throttling him. He says the speaker’s office does not assist him because he is a DA member. He should strive to assist the community because any job has its challenges. I think he focuses more on the community that lives on the hospital side,’ he said.

Kondile wants the councillor to concentrate on the bush next to the Sarafina graveyard and patch the potholes in the area.

Everything above board, says ward four councillor

The Ward 4 councillor says the way the R120 000 ward allocation was used is all above board.

Johan Zerwick stressed that he had not taken any decision alone but it was a majority decision of the ward committee members who represent the area.
Ward 4 comprises a section of town and an Ikageng part. ‘There is Suiddorp, Kanana, Ext. 9 Eskom, Ext. 9 Skoti and Ext. 9 Mountain View.

‘This year, each ward committee member consulted with their areas and put small projects on the agenda. If you divide R120 000 by R30 000, there is only enough for four projects per year. Three jobs were given and approved. They were the cleaning and fixing of Hospital Park, the clearing of the bushes in Mountain View and Skoti area and phase one of the parks next to the soccer field.

‘The service provider must live in the area and employ five to ten people from the ward. The idea is that we use other registered service providers next year and give others a chance.’

He said there were many suggestions on how the money should be utilised. ‘Moses from the Eskom area complained about the bushes close to the houses. Ivan and Elias from Mountain View and Skoti also had a problem with the bushes around the houses that were a safety risk. Cecilia complained about the state of the Hospital Park.

‘The majority decision was that each ward committee member should talk to the people in their area and get a service provider from the area or the ward to do the job. Such jobs are capped at below R30 000,’ he said.

He says the assertion that he is a temporary councillor comes from his notion that people must use their ward committee members to help and solve problems because he also has a 08:00 to 17:00 job. ANC councillors have no other employment and are, therefore, “full-time councillors”. The DA allows me to have another job and, thus, my way of having channels to report and solve issues in the ward,’ he said.

Services are withheld from our ward because I’m a DA councillor

It is no secret that services and help in our ward are withheld because I am a DA councillor. “Re tla ba kgema”(We will throttle them)  is what they say.

‘For example, if we need a grader or front-end loader, I hear that it is broken, only to see it going to work in a neighbouring ANC ward. Another example is that most of our IDP projects like high mast lights never get done. The only thing that is going on in Ext. 9 is the electricity project – albeit very slowly.

Zerwick says he only holds community meetings when his ward committee members cannot handle an issue. He held a meeting to choose the CLO and workers just before the Ext. 9 electricity project.

‘We held another meeting about two weeks ago. The community of Mountain View asked for Ivan Ramasimong to be removed as he has not attended the last five ward committee meetings where all these things were discussed and approved. Ivan also wanted to be employed as CLO of the electricity project and when that did not happen, he started working against the ward committee,’ he said.