Debtors reach + R100 million

ABAQULUSI Municipality’s debtors book has reached well over R100 million. This was revealed by Cllr Harry Heyns who was speaking at the Ward 8&9 report-back meeting, held on Thursday last week in the Vryheid Library Hall.

There were less than a dozen people attending the meeting, none of them municipal officials, and they heard Cllr Heyns say that despite a relatively good collection rate of about 87.5%, AbaQulusi residents now owed the municipality R104 million.

On the on-going saga of the Municipal Manager, it was said that a Mr Sipho Dubisane had been temporarily appointed for the next three months, and that Dr Mthembu’s case was continuing.

The High Street bridge fiasco was described as an “absolute nightmare”. An “Implementing Agent” had been appointed to oversee the completion of the bridge, and the whole project should now be completed by the end of June… or maybe July…

On the municipal dumpsite it was said, “This is a classic example of appointing people who can’t do the work”. A new area was being fenced to become the new dumpsite. It was also said that the public’s random dumping was not helping the situation.

The Paddadam rehabilitation project would continue shortly now that the dry season was here; the Grader contract was described as a “sensitive issue”, and the reason the Motor vehicle Licencing Office had been closed for two days was apparently the simultaneous sickness of the entire staff.

The Mayor’s Budget Roadshow which earlier in the month had a session in the Library Hall, had apparently been attended by just one member of the public – Toni Werndle. He said that there had been plenty of food but no one but municipal officials councillors to eat it.