If the DA wins the November 1 municipal election at JB Marks municipality in Potchefstroom, North West, the political party will focus on getting the basics right.
Though this might sound like the official opposition in the municipality is lowering the bar, the party says it will serve the people the ruling ANC failed to serve.
The North West municipality, currently under administration, has angered residents after failing to repair pothole-riddled roads for years. Constant sewer spillages and illegal dumping sites filled with rubbish are a common sight. However, if residents fail to pay for rates and taxes, electricity is cut off.
DA caucus leader and ward councillor in Potchefstroom, Hans-Jurie Moolman, said the major challenge in the municipality was corruption.
Moolman said since 2018 the municipality started procuring waste removal trucks for R1.6m a month. Previously, the municipality had its own fleet of trucks and a workshop for mechanical breakdowns and servicing.
“If you leased these trucks for R1.6m a month, this means you could replace the fleet every year,” Moolman said.
“If you go to townships you will find waste lying outside, as it’s not collected. Our water reticulation system, sewage and our waste system has run into serious trouble. The problem with that is that you can fix public infrastructure up to a certain stage. But if you can’t fix it that would cost a lot of money.
“We have potholes because our roads were no longer being fixed for a number of years and we are now overwhelmed by potholes.”
Moolman told Sowetan his party had opened a corruption case against the municipality’s former mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, who was later arrested for theft and fraud. Khumalo is currently out on bail.
Moolman said fixing and developing public infrastructure would make it easier for investors to plough capital into the municipality.
He also bemoaned the high levels of unemployment in the area, saying if the municipality could revamp places like Potchefstroom Dam and the local airport, this would attract tourists and create jobs.
“Just a few touches could make the dam to be a very nice place for people to come and visit the town,” he said. “The landing strip at the local airport was in 2010 increased to land Boeing jets and was used by the Spanish national team during the Fifa World Cup.”
He said the airport could be developed to land cargo flights and create jobs.
Moolman also bemoaned the amalgamation of Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp. “It did not do Potchefstroom any good because [we are only getting 15%] of the revenue we are supposed to get from Ventersdorp and the money we are getting from Potchefstroom is filling that gap. We now have to run two towns with that money. And to manage a place that is 50km away is a major challenge.”
He proposed that the municipalities should be separated.
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