The business chamber that was established on 9 March, is going full throttle.
The chairman, Mr Gary van Aswegen, said on Thursday, 8 April that a non-profit company (NPC) has been registered.
Finance-wise, a few committee members need clearance from their employers to manage the money, causing the slight delay in opening a bank account.
“Once a bank account number is provided, membership will be launched,” Mr Van Aswegen added.
Lack of service delivery in Standerton is the driving force behind the chamber and their attorney, Mr Andreas Peens, has begun working on three cases.
First of all, Lekwa’s Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) from Eskom will be argued in the high court.
Mr Peens previously pointed out that the NMD in Standerton dates back to a 1988 contract entered into with Eskom, which has not been adjusted since.
Nobody needs to be reminded of the chaos when the municipality introduced internal load shedding, nor of the strike of municipal workers when the town was plunged into darkness for hours on end.
The point was driven home on Saturday, 10 April when a cable fault at the Eskom feeder caused a power outage.
Electricity supply was gradually restored.
The second case to be worked on is water and sanitation, and roads will be the third issue to be contested on judicial level.
Mr Peens also explained the procedure for claiming back the money spent at the March-meeting.
The examples of Koster and Swartruggens paved the way for a business chamber to be used as a tool in legal matters.
A recent radio bulletin however, mentioned that the Kgetlengrivier Concerned Citizens group has difficulty in getting the money back from the Kgetlengrivier Municipality.
According to the national broadcaster, court proceedings are scheduled for 22 April.
The court previously ruled that if the municipality fails to supply potable water, the group would be authorised to take over the municipal waterworks.
The group sprung to action when residents found themselves in the same position as regards to water and sewage problems.
According to the bulletin, the municipality promised to repay, but failed to do so.
The Standerton Advertiser asked Mr Van Aswegen what Mr Peens’ views on the latest development in the North-West are.
He replied that the firm will claim the money from the provincial government if the local municipality does not oblige.
The first official meeting of the chamber took place on 16 March.
• Mr Van Aswegen told the Standerton Advertiser on Monday, 12 April that the government did indeed oblige and pay the money to the municipality. A payment of R15,8-million was made.
