Action needed on Transkei infrastructural collapse - Holomisa

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA FROM UDM PRESIDENT BANTU HOLOMISA

TO: His Excellency, President Jacob Zuma

FROM: Bantu Holomisa, MP - UDM President

Dear Sir

RE: LACK OF IMPLEMENTATION ON PROMISES MADE IN RELATION TO KSD MUNICIPALITY

The abovementioned matter has reference. Previously (in 2007) I had brought to the attention of the President (then Mr Mbeki) the state of infrastructural collapse in Transkei (including KSD Municipality).

Promises of massive investments were made on numerous occasions before and since then; not least of all during the recent election campaign. A few months ago the KSD Mayor, Mr Siyakholwa Mlamli, was reported as having attended a meeting with yourself. On his return from that meeting there was speculation that an amount of R5 billion would be allocated to the KSD Municipality [Mthatha] to address major issues of water, electricity and roads.

To our amazement, when the Minister of Finance delivered his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement recently there was no mention of such funding. We now begin to doubt whether such a significant amount was ever committed to address the KSD Municipality infrastructure crisis.

Despite the millions that were said by previous ANC governments to have been allocated to address the infrastructure crisis, nothing has been done. The potholes are now ditches. That's in the city and towns, in the areas between them the situation is even worse. The roads between Umtata and the holiday resort areas such as Coffee Bay and Hole-in-the-Wall can barely be called roads anymore, since there are literally more potholes and ditches than road surface. Nobody in Government seems to care about this.

As early as 2007 Government promised an amount of R60 million to upgrade the Umtata Airport, but to date nothing has happened. When you ask for answers on such things, nobody in authority has a straight answer and points fingers at others.

Another matter that we appeal for your intervention on is the question of R45 million which the OR Tambo District Mayor misspent in order to acquire farms in KwaZulu Natal (which, incidentally, seem to produce nothing).

It is remarkable how quickly money is found and spent when it is for dubious purposes, whereas major projects that will benefit the people never get off the ground.

We need an explanation from your office. If we - the people of this area - need to wait another 5 or 10 years for development, then tell us so. It is immoral and cruel to make promises of development to desperate people and then not to keep those promises; it demoralises people when they are being lied to.

Please speak to the relevant departments and get their feedback, the people of Transkei require the truth. If Transkei is going to be punished because it was once a homeland, on what grounds is the infrastructure built by the Apartheid regime in Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban or Cape Town maintained to the tune of billions of Rands?

We await your response with keen interest. The people of this area are sick and tired of being used as voting cattle.

Yours sincerely

Bantu Holomisa, MP

Statement issued by Bantu Holomisa, MP, UDM leader, November 25 2009

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responses to this article

Forget it bro There is no money, the gravtrain is just to long. by Amen on November 26 2009, 01:35 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Colonial Town Ignored A proud Clan reverts to pre-Colonial days lifestyle. They will vote ANC again. [ Promises fill bellies. ] You forgot the Tractors and tools promised to farmers before elections by Zuma. Maybe I care about the people despite being the wrong . .more colour with a better memory. Hamba Gashle Madoda. . .less by old, female on November 26 2009, 07:13 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA You go Holomise by tash on November 26 2009, 08:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

TRANSKEI AS A CHILD I HAD MANY MEMORABLE HOLIDAYS IN COFFEE BAY . EN ROUTE WE WOULD REFUEL IN UMTATA AND HAVE A MEAL AT A LOVELY LITTLE RESTAURANT CALLED THE ' RED LANTERN' AS AN ADULT I REVISITED THE RED LANTERN IN THE 'NEW SOUTH AFRICA' . I WANTED TO PUKE. . .more THE CEILING WAS MISSING, LOCALS WERE SITTING AROUND WITH A HALF A LOAF OF BREAD AND A 2 LITER COKE .THAT RESTAURANT EPITOMISES THE FACE OF TRANSKEI/SA VROT!!! . .less by DISILLUSIONED on November 26 2009, 13:00 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Promises Mr Zuma also promised "one laptop - one teacher", then he promised people in Soweto that he'll send their pregnant school kids to boarding schools, he promised the police a raise in their salaries, he promised the rural folk tractors as alluded to, he . .more promised the "speeding up of housing delivery" etc. Today Mr Zuma is quiet on all those issues. I was surprised that when he met school principals the other day he did not repeat the same "one laptop - one teacher" slogan. . .less by Lwi on November 27 2009, 08:21 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Election promises! I am surprised the honourable Mr Holomisa has faith in the promises made during elections by his once beloved.Please look elsewhere for the people have been forgotten and it is time to enrich " ourselves syndrome ".The dancing will start again in 5-years . .more time and dont disturb the gravy train as of now.BYE BYE. . .less by JOE on November 29 2009, 09:47 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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