EDITOR – We have, since our inception, taken a stance that is not aligned to any political party. In fact we are not interested in who gets to run our city as long as they are competent, honest, efficient and operate in terms of the Constitution of South Africa.
Yet, it seems that every day the people tasked with running our city show they do not have the ability to do so. They run an efficient propaganda department to try and convince ratepayers that they are on top of their game but it is far from the truth. What is worse is that they do not even seem to be embarrassed about their shortcomings in not doing the basics.
The latest is the closing of the municipal building in Winder Street by the Department of Labour. It is not safe for people to work there. And why? Because there is no maintenance being conducted on the building and all municipal staff have been sent home.
Now, the problem is that this building, houses the Real Estate Department and we are in the last weeks of the objection period of the new valuation roll. These departments have ceased to operate and there seems to be no back-up plan. Officials cannot be contacted. We see the municipality today extended the objection period by a month. What is worrying is that if the Department of Labour saw fit to close the building down, that means the people who work in this building, and the public that visit the building were at risk. For how long were they at risk?
This lack of maintenance is not an isolated incident. A few years ago another building owned by a major company and leased to the city on a fully repairing lease (which means that the tenant is obliged to carry out the maintenance) was found without any maintenance contracts in place. The recent landfill controversy in Hillcrest highlighted that millions of rands worth of monitoring equipment was standing idle due to non-maintenance.
Last year, through the inept actions of a senior official, that resulted in leases not being signed, saw three clinics that provide a vital service to the community, closing their doors.
These are the very basics of management. Even us ordinary ratepayers know the importance of maintaining our homes and our cars yet here are people being paid to run our city who are just not up to the job.
The late President of the US, Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that said, “The Buck Stops Here.” Unfortunately Mayor Gumede is following a trend set by the President and a whole list of cabinet ministers who do not understand their accountability to the people.
As ratepayers we demand that the City Investigative and Integrity Unit investigate this debacle and tell us who is responsible? Let us make 2017 the year that we hold politicians and officials responsible for their actions and the wastage of the public purse.
Kevin Dunkley
Cheryl Johnson
SAVE OUR BEREA
