Hindsight, the sages say, is 20/20 vision. It is easy to say I told you so after the deed is done. But what of Endumeni and 2018?
Politically, it was an anus horribilis. Council meetings hardly got going and were marked by walk out, mainly by the ANC, and furious rows between the IFP and the ANC claiming that their motions – including a motion of no confidence in the Mayor – were being ignored.
For the sometimes delicately balanced coalition it was a case of accusing the ANC of jealously of no longer running the show hence the need to disrupt meetings.
Blaming the press for only highlighting the bad news does not cut ice any more. The politicians write their own script. Ask JZ.
We wait in anticipation for 2018 with many ratepayers not caring who runs the show – their main concerns are the huge hike in rates – especially for businesses which are now coughing up between 40 and 180% more than they did this time last year.
In a local economy that is shaky in the least this is economic suicide and no amount of justification – blaming landlords for selling properties at inflated prices and saying Endumeni is cheaper that other towns – will correct this.
Fact is rates here are between 36 and 50% more than in Vryheid and even in Melville in Johannesburg where a property valued at around R1-million attracts rates of just over R480.
Fix it, the powers that be – that is your 2018 challenge.
The good news is that we did some improvements in the road infrastructure particularly on the coal route on Willson and Victoria Streets although the resurfacing on Commercial Road is already crumbling.
Hopefully the poor residents on Browning and Argyle Street will finally find relief should Transnet finally approve the coal route that will keep trucks out of the town area.
The by-laws continue to be an enigma wrapped in a mystery in 2017. Two parks – Coronation Park and MacPhail Park – are fast becoming notorious for sexcapades, littering, drinking and other anti social activities. While the by laws that are supposed to legislate against all these public nuisances were promulgated nearly two years ago, the policing of these laws does not happen. The challenge in 2018 is for the powers that be to sort this out and give ratepayers who fork out for service charges to get the kind of service they deserve
Dundee will do well to look at the village of Winterton – previously KZN’s town of the year – when it comes to working together to promote tourism and generate a sense of community pride. We appear to have everything on a plate here – the battlefields, the guides, the culture, the museum(s) but we lack a united community to take it to the next level. What we really need is an end of talk shops and the start of some solid action in 2018: get the moribund Chamber of Business up and running and lets get pride back into our town. Maybe the locals will then stop shopping in Newcastle?
