But I believe it’s even bigger than he thinks.
Poor service delivery is also a crime, in my opinion. So is the deterioration of our infrastructure. And the rampant lack of accountability.
Let’s take the situation at Knellpoort Dam in Free State, for example. The land around the dam was transferred by government to the Wepener community in the form of an Article 21 company. Millions of rands of taxpayers’ money was made available for tourism development, and some 10 years ago top class accommodation, a lapa and a conference centre were built.
All of these developments have been left to go to rack and ruin. The bungalows are falling apart, the ablution facilities are virtually destroyed and I wonder if the conference facilities have ever been used. Hundreds of cattle, sheep, goats and horses are nowadays left to graze around the dam, resulting in appalling overgrazing. Serious disease outbreaks and livestock theft is a constant threat to the commercial farmers in the area.
It’s criminal that nobody wants to take responsibility for the situation. The original principals of the Article 21 company appear to have disappeared. Bloem Water, who’s in charge of the dam, argues the matter is the community’s responsibility.
The only people interested in resolving things are the farmers. And they have an uphill struggle because, as I’ve noted, nobody wants to take responsibility for the problem. The authorities are seemingly too short-sighted or simply can’t be bothered to do anything about it.
Knellpoort is symptomatic of the epidemic of neglect which is rife in virtually every municipal district. The politicians in charge are hell bent on secondary issues such as place and street name changes, while the people affected by the disregard have reached a tipping point. Is it really more important for a person to live in a street with a politically correct name than to have access to clean drinking water?
The authorities need to take stock of their priorities as a matter of urgency and channel funds accordingly. I shudder to think what might happen if this is left to continue unabated. – Annelie Coleman
