“Gatvol!” – ActionSA
“Let us continue building better communities together” – ANC.
“Dis ons tyd” – Freedom Front Plus.
“Your vote can get your town working for all!” – DA.
“Restoring our community” – Hope.

‘Gatvol?’ But if you still have ‘Hope’ and want a town that works, you must go and vote on November 4.
Voters are once again being reminded by hundreds of posters which political party offers the best candidate.

In the past, councillors were local residents who worked hard to improve their communities.
They were businesspeople, farmers, school principals, builders, and professionals.

Nowadays, most of them are political lackeys who care nothing for their town and are there solely to earn a fat salary.
Some political parties do not choose candidates based on competence or the ability to make a difference, but rather on their subservience to the party.

Councillor Piet Bezuidenhout was a builder who loved Middelburg dearly.
He would drive through the town every morning to conduct ‘inspections’ before heading to the municipality, where officials who had neglected their duties would face his wrath.

Mayor Pikkie Coetzee did not forget Middelburg after becoming a Member of Parliament; he played an instrumental role in the construction of Kanonkop High School and the new courthouse.

Sewage and potholes mark decaying towns

Prioritising political parties over the town has had catastrophic consequences for the country.
I drove to Bloemfontein last year, and before reaching every small town, you were first met by the stench of sewage.
It was the same two weeks ago on the way to Dundee.

The beautiful tourist town is a prime example of how the ‘new South Africa’ has destroyed communities.
There aren’t just potholes, but massive trenches and craters; illegal businesses are everywhere, playing loud music day and night; and a stench of sewage hangs in the air.

One of the first things I do when I arrive in a town is buy the local newspaper.
And there, on page two of the Courier, the heart-wrenching reality stares back:

“For Ros Habgood, the prolonged power outage at the Talana Museum complex has meant changing menus, relying on a generator and having ‘a ton of faith’ that the situation will soon improve.

“Habgood, who runs Miner’s Rest Restaurant, said the irony was that the power cut had coincided with an upsurge in tourism, with three busloads of British tourists stopping for lunch since the electricity was disconnected.
“She admitted the past month had been stressful.

“At our monthly men’s breakfast, we swapped toast for buns – none of the guys complained. For now, we are going forward in faith and with our best smiles.

“The outage is particularly frustrating during September, Heritage Month, when school groups and other visitors traditionally visit the museum to experience the area’s history and heritage.

“Eskom disconnected electricity to the complex about a month ago after Endumeni Municipality’s account fell into arrears of more than R103 000, excluding reconnection fees.”

Middelburg faces municipal breakdown

It is about more than just decay.
More than just the stench of sewage.
More than just a dirty town.
More than just streetlights that don’t work.
More than just potholes.
It is about people’s lives.
People’s livelihoods.

If your town has deteriorated over the past few years, it is time to give someone else a chance.
If your councillor has been absent for the last four years and his face is now appearing on a lamp-post again, use your power; cast your vote for another candidate.

Middelburg is on the brink of disaster.
The Kees Taljaard Stadium has fallen into disrepair.
The cemetery has not been cleaned and is overgrown.
Streetlights are not working.

Rubble from maintenance work is left lying around for months.
The town no longer has a resealing programme to maintain its roads.
Refuse removal has not taken place for weeks.

It has taken months for potholes to be repaired.
Millions have been spent on, among other things, a New Year’s Eve party.

Ballot box offers chance for change

New brooms won’t sweep clean immediately, because the decay is simply too extensive.
But there is hope.

Think carefully before you vote on November 4.

It could make the difference:
Whether you have electricity.
Whether you have water.
Whether you drive to work on a road full of potholes.
Whether your refuse will be collected.
Whether your municipal bill is even higher.
Whether your town is falling into a state of squalor.

Or… whether you’re going to stay Gatvol!