Langebaan Online You read it first here Bring me the dirt, say chair Andre Kruger urged members with complaints about political interference or nepotism in municipal appointments to put them in writing so he could have them investigated. He was reacting to an emotional outpouring by welfare member Solene Smith, who canvasses and screens applicants for public works programme jobs. She said people called the municipal offices and made accusations against her on Facebook of favouring her family with jobs, whereas it was officials and councillors who were the culprits. Smith, the ANC candidate in the previous elections, said: “I have the impression that if you are ANC, you don’t get a job. What right do they have to phone people and confront them on Facebook saying how can so and so get work? I have kept quiet for too long. Who gave those people the right to say this or that one can’t be appointed?. The municipal people have so much power.” She complained of a lack of co-operation from the new town engineer, Waldo Julies. He denied this. Responding, Andre Kruger said politics was not a factor in appointments. Jaco Kotze said the name of Democratic Alliance councillor for ward 2, Stefanus Vries, who lives in Seaview Park, had previously come up in complaints. “You should ask the municipal manager to investigate under the code of conduct.” Kruger said that to make such a request, he needed a statement of complaint specifying the details of the alleged misdemeanour. Charlton Nieuwoudt said the committee should have more say on what names were forwarded for consideration in public works jobs. Kruger said: “We must be more involved. But we can’t take over from the CPF and take over all the problems of the town.” Kotze said Alie had resigned because she felt she was not progressing. “This committee is the formal and structured platform for the general voice of community. We are eroding the committee’s effectiveness if we go unstructured with various issues. If they want to formally address issues to council, this is the place.” Kruger said he apologised to Smith if she had been the victim of politicking. “This is not about politics. The filling of their representative’s seat is of the utmost importance.” Earlier, Julies jumped boots and all into the long-standing dispute over siting of the pedestrian crossing at the Strandloper entrance, in which Kotze has repeatedly criticised the performance of officials. Julies said he was “not happy with suggestions from people who are not from Seaview Park”. He had spoken to the community itself, through the offices of Alie, who canvasses in the area for the DA. “Wimpie [America, a ward committee member and also a DA acolyte] sent me an email to say we are going to keep entrance as is. We will clean and widen the road shoulder and make a better surface from the western side.” Roy Masters, the portfolio member for the disabled, said many Seaview Park people did not use the crossing and walked across the road closer to the main entrance to the township. “What if they get knocked over? They don’t walk over that crossing. Where do you draw the line?” Kotze said the issue should be approached with both pedestrians’ and motorists’ interests in mind. Kruger said that if warnings signs were erected and the crossing was made under the direction of roads engineers, the committee had done all it could. Kotze said he had previously pointed out that the engineers were not roads engineers. To have Langebaan Online delivered free to your inbox, please send a blank email to [email protected].
Posted on: Wed, 12 Mar 2014 06:05:41 +0000
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