No lights, taps or toilets in ANC-governed Oudtshoorn

A shocking state of basic service in ANC-governed Oudtshoorn municipality has been discovered by a DA Western Cape Caucus visit there this week.

On a visit to the informal settlement of Rose Valley (formerly Riemvasmaak) in Oudtshoorn we witnessed virtually no trace of basic municipal services.

The visit formed part of the DA's "Masisebenze" (Let us work) campaign which is currently being rolled out through province-wide leadership visits.

The DA's key assessments were -

• The township does not have electricity
• An estimated minimum of 30 households share a single tap
• The municipality erected seemingly random and ill-considered toilets - in some cases right in front of people's front doors. One toilet can serve up to 20 households

It is a crying shame that people in this town are left to make a living in such conditions.

Presentations by civic organisations in Oudtshoorn also confirmed that the ANC-led Oudtshoorn municipality is unfit and fraught with corruption and maladministration. According to them too many incompetent, unqualified and unnecessary personnel are appointed and the public is denied access to information and denied a voice in terms of public participation.

The state of governance in Oudtshoorn once again makes it clear that voters can choose to go back to the days of corruption, racial politics and lack of service delivery under the ANC. Or they can choose five more years of steadily improving service delivery, job creation and clean government under the DA.

It is becoming increasingly clear that the ANC in Oudtshoorn is engulfed by infighting and friction rather than a focus on delivery. 

This infighting was displayed a few weeks ago when, Marius Fransman, ANC Chaiperson, was confronted by members of his own party and chased out of town.

The DA-members of the Oudtshoorn Council will continue to use their power to attempt to steer decisions and expenditure in the right direction and to counter mismanagement and maladministration.

I urgently appeal to the ANC in Oudtshoorn to get their house in order. The ones who suffer most from their mismanagement and incompetence, are the poor.

The political message in Oudtshoorn is clear. The people of the town urgently need a new, competent government and can no longer afford the fraud, corruption and incompetence of the ANC. It is hurting the people and businesses in the town. Only the people of Oudtshoorn can bring change in Oudtshoorn. During our visit, the people have spoken and they are ready for that change to happen - sooner rather than later. 

Photo: Dr. Ivan Meyer, Leader of the DA in the Western Cape, talking to residents of Rose Valley.

Statement issued by Dr Ivan Meyer, DA Leader in the Western Cape, May 30 2013

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