I write in response to the front page article published in the Krugersdorp News last week:
We need answers (not excuses) from the ANC councillors at Mogale City Council as to why all three of its swimming pools are closed in the middle of summer, and there is no indication or assurance from Mogale City that they are ever going to get them into working order – maybe this year, next year, sometime, NEVER?
If the answer is next year, or sometime, or even never, then we want the ANC councillors to explain and give details how and why we should fork out R9,1 million over four years on swimming pools that do not function? The other question relates to the R3,9 million was budgeted between 2014 and 2016 for swimming pools. What happened to this money, and why has it not been used to get these swimming pools in working order? We the citizens of Mogale say: “Pay back the money and use it for the purpose it was intended for without further delay”.
The three pools in question are Kagiso, Azaadville and Krugersdorp West. The reasons given by Mogale so far have been that there was insufficient funds to pay the salaries of lifeguards, and a lack of chlorine. This is despite the R3,9 million budgeted for swimming pool renovations in previous years by the ANC Council in Mogale.
All the ANC concentrated on was engaging in combat and power struggling for many months, trying to wrestle the municipality away from the DA, and in so doing, they neglected and abandoned their priorities towards the citizens of Krugersdorp. This was confirmed by the Editor of the Krugersdorp News when she asked the councillors at Mogale to stop the fighting, grow up and attend to the priorities in and around Krugersdorp that have been ignored, with the result that the swimming pools are still in desperate need of repairs and upgrades.
We as the citizens of Krugersdorp should constantly remind the ANC that they work for us, as we pay the large salaries they earn, including the three per cent bonus they paid themselves as reported in the Krugersdorp News some weeks back. No bonus report was ever compiled, nor was it ever served in a Council meeting, and all forms of accountability were absent.
This three per cent bonus could have been used for upgrading the three swimming pools for the benefit of the community in Krugersdorp, but no – the greedy ANC used it elsewhere instead, thus depriving children and citizens of sporting activities in Kagiso, Azaadville and Krugersdorp West .
Furthermore, there is no budget under the ANC for necessary projects, except ones where they can deprive the residents of Mogale whenever they can, and sad to say, the citizens seem to be accepting this without taking a stand against injustice as we should.
I would advise these greedy, selfish officials of the ANC in Mogale to take note of the example of the DA Mayor of Tshwane, who instead of having the mayoral house renovated at a cost of millions of rand, decided to stay in his own home, and sell the mayoral house so that the money received from the sale of the house could be used to build houses for those who don’t have any. What an example.
This is somebody who really cares for the community, unlike the ‘power hungry, greedy’ ANC councillors, including the Mayor, of Mogale, as they have not set a good example by leaving three swimming pools in a dilapidated, disgusting state and only care and worry about how much money they can make out of the citizens of Mogale.
Sadly, we, the citizens of Mogale, are once again the victims of the disgraceful and discreditable ANC City Council.
