kougademocrat

People feel safe when they trust their Municipality will safeguard every aspect of their community’s welfare and ensure that their freedom has meaning.

A sewage spill in Humansdorp. A caring Municipality looks after the environment

Safety means living in environments that are clean, secure and enhance the health of those who live in them.

Experienced professionals deal with emergencies in these communities rapidly. Safe communities have public spaces that all people can enjoy.

Under DA governance, Kouga Municipality will care about safety and also care about protecting the natural environment. Residents value their homes and neighborhoods, and play an active role in keeping these areas safe.

A Kouga municipal Court enforces by-laws and offenders receive quick justice and a safe Municipality engages with NGO’s to fight substance abuse.

Judicial and Police resources are beefed up and the Municipal Law Enforcement is properly capacitated.

A safe town initiative through a EPWP security plan has made the beachfronts safe and crime is reduced in hotspots.

A Kouga Disaster Management Plan is finalized and implemented that includes reservist fire fighters and a Kouga Fire Association is functional.

Stray animals have been impounded and commonage areas have been created.

Lifeguards are employed permanently on the Blue Flag beaches ensuring the safety of all residents and tourists.

A well run Municipality does not have potholes, broken streetlights and crumbling infrastructure. People have a good quality of life.

Rivers of sewage flow in Humansdorp

They have access to excellent and affordable basic services, safe roads and well-maintained public spaces.

In these communities there is a high level of trust – where the public know what their money is being spent on and have a say in their government and planning for the future.

Ensuring fairness for all residents is a key goal of well run Municipalities. There is transparency and the best skilled people are always hired.

Things did not always run this well. When the DA took power, the Kouga was plagued by political instability and financial mismanagement.

Staff was being suspended, often for no valid reasons. This instability in the administration has had negative consequences and led to a demoralized work force.

When we won Kouga in 2016 we opened the tender procedures of the municipality to allow for more oversight, we placed a moratorium on relatives of Councillors and officials doing business with the municipality.

We created a fairer Municipality, by ensuring that money is spent wisely on delivery in areas that need it most and we ensured nepotism and political affiliation does not determine who benefits from jobs, tenders and services.

People enjoy a better quality of life because more people have access to better quality services.

Refuse is collected timeously with water and electricity losses curtailed.

Roads are resurfaced at regular intervals and there is a repair plan in place throughout Kouga.

Infrastructure has been upgraded to ensure developments and housing projects can be embarked upon.

Sidewalks and road signage are well maintained and an Environmental Office has been appointed to ensure compliance with all legislation and effective usage of the Environmental Management Fund.

Community expertise is effectively managed to help run the Municipality and financial administration and controls are introduced with zero tolerance for corruption and fraud.

Kouga has a ward based IDP which is linked to the budget and is a working document.

Vote DA on 3 August and become part of a well run Kouga Municipality.

A DA led Kouga will provide opportunity for all its residents to receive quality service delivery and become economically active.

Good governance will attract investors and tourists to the Kouga, which will in turn lead to job creation, an increase of income for the Municipality and better maintenance of our infrastructure.

To reach this point, the DA had to turn things around in the beginning; people didn’t have opportunities, too few people had access to dignified services and money was wasted by politicians.

This vision will be built upon the following pillars:

1. An OPPORTUNITY municipality
2. A CARING Municipality
3. A SAFE Municipality
4. An INCLUSIVE Municipality
5. A FORWARD THINKING Municipality
6. A WELL-RUN Municipality

Follow the Kouga Democrat over the next week as we explain our Manifesto in more detail with the voters of Kouga.