From the Desk of Kouga Executive Mayor, Horatio Hendricks:
Since taking over Kouga in August 2016, we were faced with many challenges. A poorly governed municipality, wildfires, and the start of a prolonged drought, were just some of them.
Over the years, we have succeeded in turning the fortunes of a municipality that was on the brink of collapse into a place of hope – a place where the pursuit of happiness and prosperity is real for everyone.
This was done through grit and determination, by building trust and partnership, and placing value on the social contract we formed with our people, as well as placing people at the centre of everything we do.
Despite the devastation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, ravaging lives, and economies across the region, we succeeded in keeping Jeffreys Bay serviced, while caring for the communities – one of the most important aspects of what we as Council do.
While there are many mountains we still need to climb, and a virus that we need to combat together, we are on track and determined to deliver a system of good governance through service excellence.
Today we commemorate Women’s Day, but as the scourge of violence against women and children escalates in the Eastern Cape, and across the country, it is very difficult to celebrate this day that so many brave women fought for.
Women and children are being kidnapped, raped and killed on a daily basis and gender-based violence (GBV) has long ago reached crisis proportions – with the Eastern Cape being a particular hotspot for these heinous crimes.
The recently released crime statistics for the 2019/20 financial year indicated that common assault against women increased by 0,6%, while 25 801 cases of rape against women and children were reported countrywide
A recent case reported in the media highlighted that one of the most shocking acts of rape took place in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape after nine men entered a woman’s home and raped her for two days.
South Africa is unsafe for most women and statistics indicate that GBV is skyrocketing while the ANC government turns a blind eye.
“Our women have, however, not thrown in the towel and yesterday, 8 August 2020, I attended eight Democratic Alliance Women’s Network (DAWN) EC Women’s Day events in the DA-run Kouga Local Municipality.
I was joined by Kouga Executive Mayor, Cllr Horatio Hendricks, and DAWN representatives from the Tsitsi-Kouga area in distributing food parcels, gift packs and clothes, and attending soup kitchens. All of this was made possible due to generous donations made by local business people and residents,” said Georgina Faldtman – DAWN EC Provincial Chairperson.
“We visited areas such as Pellsrus in Jeffreys Bay, Donkerhoek in Humansdorp and Hankey and urged women to rise up and not allow GBV to destroy their futures. Women can no longer remain silent – we must speak out in order to save lives.
The government needs to get serious about protecting our women and children. Too many perpetrators are walking around free and too many women are being buried.
DAWN is committed to advancing women’s rights and in fighting for a society where women can feel safe and thrive,”added Faldman.
Here are five ways that DA governments, across the length and breadth of South Africa, are meeting the challenges of the 21st-century head-on:
Africa’s first plastic road in Kouga:
In the small town of Jeffrey’s Bay in the beautiful Eastern Cape, the DA-run municipality of Kouga has officially started work on Africa’s first-ever plastic road.
“Non-recyclable plastic waste, which ends up in the ocean or clogging up landfill sites, is processed into pellets and used to replace a large component of the bitumen in a conventional asphalt mix.”
– Vicky Knoetze, DA Eastern Cape MPL
Water is the number one cause of potholes on regular roads. The plastic road is therefore said to be stronger and more durable, as it is more difficult for water to penetrate the surface.
Green innovation in the City of Johannesburg:
The DA-led City of Johannesburg’s Housing Department recently won a Sustainable Cities and Human Settlements Award at the United Nations 14th Annual Session of the Global Forum on Human Settlements.
The award was won for the City’s South Hills mixed-income housing development, a housing development praised as a “global green model community“.
The South Hills development will yield 6 204 units, with 408 already completed.
South Africa’s first housing app in Stellenbosch:
The DA-run Stellenbosch Municipality recently launched a housing app to increase accessibility and access to the housing database for all residents.
The app is not only a first for Stellenbosch but is one of the first-ever municipal applications in South Africa.
There are currently over 16 300 applicants currently registered on Stellenbosch’s housing database, but the information of many applicants is incomplete or out-dated. The app will allow residents to update their information, and create a secure profile that can be used to complete an application.
“Our new housing app and the implementation of our housing demand database will allow us to keep accurate records and plan according to the needs of our residents.”
– Stellenbosch Mayor, Gesie van Deventer
A future-focused school in rural Worcester:
Thanks to a partnership between the DA-run Western Cape government and private donors, a state-of-the-art, world-class primary school has officially opened in rural Worcester.
Botha’s Halte Primary places an emphasis on e-learning, demonstrating how 21st-century technology can be used to reach and contribute to quality education in rural and outlying areas of South Africa.
Digital technology is changing the way learners are educated. The school has already become an educational hub for the district and, through digital teaching, seamlessly links with other teaching institutions such as the University of Stellenbosch.
For the last 18 months, the DA-run City of Cape Town has embarked on an innovative project to tackle harmful methane emissions from Cape Town’s landfills.
Waste to energy in the City of Cape Town:
By safely trapping methane gas pockets produced by decaying rubbish in landfills and then burning the gas, the City of Cape Town is eliminating harmful greenhouse gasses.
The innovation, however, doesn’t stop there. The City will now embark on phase two of the project which will see the harmful methane gas used as a heating fuel in industry, to generate electricity or as a fuel for vehicles.
This initiative will be a useful case study for all other local governments across South Africa, with other DA governments, in particular, focused on fighting greenhouse emissions.
The DA Shadow Minister of Police, Andrew Whitfield, met with residents of Madiba Bay on Saturday and discussed the issue of crime that is affecting all communities in Jeffreys Bay.
Whitfield, who is also leader of the DA in Kouga, said that children need to grow up in communities that are safe and free from criminals who roam the streets, robbing people and making them fear leaving their homes.
“We have a responsibility to leave the world a safer place so that our children do not grow up in fear,” said Whitfield at a meeting of community leaders in Madiba Bay.
“We need to build a safe community so that people wont fear to leave their houses to go and work. Its important that local government, the Police and initiatives like a neighbourhood watch work together to fight crime.
We must build a safe community so that we can build a prosperous community and that includes more visible policing in our streets,” said Whitfield, who was joined by Mayor Horatio Hendricks and other Jeffreys Bay Councillors at the house meeting of community members who want to establish a neighbourhood watch in Madiba Bay.
Whitfield also went door to door with the DA activists and met with residents who shared their concerns about crime and signed the petition requesting the Minister of Police to increase Police visibility in our towns and communities.
The DA petition calls for the following:
More visible policing and frequent patrols of crime hotspots.
Frequent raids of drug dens and known crime areas as well as the hideaway spots of criminals.
Drastically improve on the response time when attending to complaints of violent crime.
Formulation of a collective crime prevention strategy.
More resources committed to crime prevention initiatives.
Kouga has rolled out a new maintenance plan for gravel roads across the region.
Executive Mayor Elza van Lingen said many of the municipality’s gravel roads were in a shocking condition following years of neglect.
“The municipality does not own its own grader. We have, however, set aside funds to hire a grader, which will be used from town to town to grade those roads most in need of attention,” she said.
Kouga has a total of 87,5km of municipal gravel roads of which almost half is in Humansdorp.
Kruisfontein has almost 33km of gravel roads while KwaNomzamo has just more than 8km.”
“We have already started grading roads in Kruisfontein and aim to move to KwaNomzamo by December,” she said.
For the first time in 11 years RDP houses are once again being built in Kouga.
Executive Mayor Elza van Lingen said work on 391 RDP houses at Kruisfontein and 220 RDP houses at Pellsrus was progressing well.
“About 50 houses are already taking shape at Kruisfontein. We are delighted that housing delivery is back on track after more than a decade of empty promises by the previous Councils,” she said.
She said the municipality was also working non-stop to get other housing projects in the region off the ground.
“A year ago when the new Council was inaugurated, we said that we would hold the East Cape Department of Human Settlements to its commitment to build houses in Kouga and we will continue keeping a close eye on developments,” she said.
“Ten big housing projects were approved as far back as 2009 but never implemented. Kouga’s people have been very patient and it’s time for that patience to be rewarded with houses.”
The contractors for the 391 Kruisfontein and 220 Pellsrus projects were announced by the Department last year but work only started officially this year.
The two-year contract for the installation of internal services and the building of houses at Kruisfontein was awarded to Bendolite while the Ikhaya Development Trust was awarded the two-year contract for Pellsrus.
The Mayor said in terms of the contracts at least 80% of the labour required, had to be sourced from local communities.
“Project Steering Committees have already been established for both projects. A Community Liaison Officer (CLO) has also been appointed for Kruisfontein while the appointment of a CLO for Pellsrus is being finalised,” she said.
The expected completion date for both projects is 2019.
KOUGA Municipality will do its best to ensure that there is better access to municipal buildings and facilities for people with disabilities.
This was said by Executive Mayor Elza van Lingen at an event to mark Disability Rights Awareness Month at the Newton Hall in Jeffreys Bay last week.
The annual campaign runs from November 3 to December 3, with the last day also recognised as International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
This year’s theme is: “Persons with disabilities – Equal participants in shaping a sustainable future.”
The Mayor singled out, as examples, her office and the municipality’s council chambers as inaccessible to people with disabilities and the elderly.
“The municipality has to do more to provide access to everyone,” she said.
Van Lingen lauded the efforts of organisations that worked to highlight the plight of people with disabilities.
“Today we reach out to the diversity within the disability groups. You are doing what all of us should be doing and that is taking care of others,” she said.
In her message of support the Eastern Cape chairperson of Retina South Africa, Gail Cillie, said there was still a great need to educate people about visual disability.
The Port Elizabeth-based organisation established a support group for visually impaired patients in Kouga a year ago, with the aim of helping patients live their lives to the full.
Jakkie Pieters of the Association of People with Disabilities expressed pleasure at hearing the commitments from the Mayor on caring for people with disabilities.
He said the most common reaction by able-bodied people was to look the other way and avoid interaction with disabled persons.
“According to the IDP, there are 3074 people living with disabilities in Kouga and that means we still have a huge task ahead of us,” said Pieters.
He concluded by pointing out that there are skills among disabled people that may be exploited for the benefit of any institution.
“Given an opportunity, we can bowl you over. Look at our ability and not our disability.”
The municipality also donated 20 transporter wheelchairs to ten organisations that work with people with disabilities, the el-derly and the sickly. Each received two transporters.
I would like to send best wishes to all the Matric students in Kouga who are busy writing their final exams.
It is an exciting part of a young persons life with many changes and challenges laying ahead.
Mayor Elza Van Lingen
One thing I know for sure, that no matter where in Kouga you live, this area will always be regarded as home for you!
The public participation process that will help us draw up a 5 year plan for Kouga, is well underway.
We have met with residents of Oyster Bay, St Francis Bay and Humansdorp over the past week and are coming to a close understanding of what residents expect from Kouga Municipality.
Thank you to all who have attended the meetings.
The December holiday season is almost upon us and we are working hard to ensure that the Kouga is ready for the influx of holiday makers.
We have identified critical service delivery challenges and have come with solutions.
Extra vehicles will be hired over the season to deal with waste collection and to ensure our service departments like water and electricity will be capacitated to deal with the problems that will arise during the holiday season.
Extra lifeguards and Law Enforcement officials have been appointed to ensure the safety of our visitors.
Inspections of electrical lines have also been undertaken to ensure preventative maintenance prior to the holiday season has been done.
WERKERS wat lyf wegsteek in die Kouga, se dae is getel.
Die nuwe Kouga-raad, onder leiding van Kouga uitvoerende burgemeester Elza van Lingen, het ondersoek ingestel na vele klagtes hulle bereik het oor munisipale werkers wat glo tydens werksure leeglê.
Photo: Joey Nel
Volgens Van Lingen is meeste van dié werkers nie munisipale werkers nie, maar val onder die Uitgebreide Publieke Werksprogram en die Gemeenskapswerksprogram.
“Selfs al val die werkers nie onder munisipale bestuur nie, kan so ‘n situasie nie geduld word nie. Dit is steeds publieke fondse wat gebruik word om hul salarisse te betaal,” sê Van Lingen.
“Boonop is die werk waarvoor hulle betaal word, ten bate van Kouga se gemeenskappe. Een van hul pligte is, onder meer, om ons dorpe te help skoonhou. Vuil sypaadjies en woonbuurte is dan juis een van ons grootste kopsere.”
Volgens Van Lingen, beskou die raad hierdie as ‘n saak van groot erns.
“GOns wil graag inwoners die versekering gee dat ons die verantwoordelike regeringsdepartemente hieroor sal aanvat en daarop aandring dat Kouga se mense die diens ontvang wat hulle verdien.
“Werkers moet onthou dat hulle werk ‘n wesentlike verskil aan hul gemeenskappe kan maak. As hulle slaplê, is dit hul gemeenskappe wat die seerste kry.
“Saam kan ons ‘n Kouga bou waarop ons almal trots kan wees.”
kougademocrat 