Blood from a stone?

Jan Combrinck, AbaQulusi Residents Association Chairperson, writes:-ON JUNE 25, 2013, the AbaQulusi Residents Association (ARA) sent a letter of request to the Administrator of the AbaQulusi Local Municipality (ALM) Mr. Thando Manda, asking for information on how the new electricity tariff was calculated and a copy of the NERSA letter of approval of these new tariffs.
The ARA also requested copies of various municipal contracts including Quantum Leap, Umnotho Wezibi Waste Recycling, Dolphin Coast Waste Management and the ALM security services contract.
Mr. Manda said that he would forward our requests to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Municipal Manager (MM) and promised that he will monitor in ensuring that they respond.
Under the Public Access to Information Act (PAIA) we are legally entitled to demand this information and the ALM is legally obliged to supply the information within 30 days after which legal action can be taken against them.
The ARA being composed of reasonable people and normally having a good working relationship with the ALM gave the ALM 45 days to respond with the requested documents or good reasons for not supplying them, but there was no response whatsoever.
On July 1st we sent written and telephonic reminders to Administrator Manda. All correspondence is done through the ALM registrar who signs and stamps copies for us so that we have legal proof of delivery. Yet again we have been disappointed by zero response from ALM.
Today 21st October we have given the ALM a final demand to fulfill their legal obligation under the PAIA or we will hand the matter over to Afriforum and the Public Protector.