Ema%$#leni – post Mr Fix-it

Once the elections are over, he will be gone like mist on summer’s day, no more Facebook, no more e-mail responses, no more getting some sort of sense from anyone!

Because of what he has tried to achieve, we tend to forget that he was appointed to the position by the ruling party, and once they have achieved their goal for another five-year term, we will be told that Ema#@$ leni, cannot be under ‘admiration’ indefinitely, and that the mayor and the rest of ‘Boswell Wilkey’ must get on with it.

We will be back to the dark ages, with the looting and plundering of the treasure chest, and the incompetents doing what they do so well –nothing.

One can already see that cracks are forming, and that relaxed, not really wanting to do anything feeling, you get just before going on leave, starting to surface.

Potholes, nicely dug out to four time their original size, just left to become even deeper and more dangerous, thanks for that.
Sewage running down our streets, still forms part of our daily lives, and the chocolate coloured ‘something’ out of our taps last week, thanks for that.

So all the good of the past, is already being eroded, at the mere thought of Mr Fix-its imminent departure.
Therefore dear reader, please don’t expect that living in Ema@#%leni will improve. Unfortunately it is only going to get worse, as long as our colleagues with the black/green/yellow flag run the show, which is laid out splendidly in Gareth Cliff’s letter to the president currently doing the rounds.

Mr Theo van Vuuren, this city’s administrator comments:

These comments show the general concerns from our community about the challenges still being faced. The road to recovery is not a one-year road, and it has its ups and downs. People are often not recognising what has changed and the foundations for long term sustainability which have been built. Issues such as internal systems, planning, governance, correcting the financial systems, the budget priorities, etc are not visible and these will over time lead to more sustainable improvements.

The main unfortunate thing was the toll the heavy rains took on our roads and also our sanitation system has eroded some of the progress made, but is also being reversed. Again time is needed. The current staff unrest is also untimely, but, must be addressed now to ensure a better future.

This then brings us the point about the administration contract drawing to a close. That is true, and only time will tell whether sufficient sustainability has been created to continue the progress towards recovery. Personally I have confidence that the city can recover and that there are many good people who can do a better job than myself, in this.

The question is would it give any comfort should I stay on longer? The effort is much bigger than me as person… but it is and was and possibly will be a privilege to try to help and to serve the community.