Business owners in Delmas want to re-install pride in the community
Members of all spheres from within the community of Delmas attended the meeting and business owners had the chance to voice their concerns.
Business owners of Delmas engaged in an honest and open-minded dialogue about the deterioration of the town.
The meeting took place at the Delmas Golf Club on Thursday morning, November 24. Henry Masilela, a predominant businessman in Delmas, called the meeting.
Members of all spheres from within the community of Delmas attended the meeting and business owners had the chance to voice their concerns about the current state and the future of Delmas.
Service delivery issues were at the forefront, with concerns about potholes, non-working traffic lights, poor infrastructure, local employment and education to name just a few.
The condition of the R50-coal road which has under construction for the past three years and and is still not repaired, is in a poor and dangerous state.
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Business owners agreed that it is costly for buses and delivery vehicles to use the detour to get onto the N12. They have to budget for tyre repairs and extra fuel.
Water- and electricity supply as well as the dilapidated sewerage system were also topics of concern.
“Let us identify the challenges, source local products and local labour, make people responsible for a certain project and let there be transparency.
“Let this be a business initiative, a Gossa initiative, without the interference of the local municipality or politicians,” said Celso Dos Santos, owner of Pick ’n Pay in Delmas.
“Let us beautify our town.”
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According to Cobus Human, a local businessman, the problem is not only the municipality but also businesses.
Human emphasised the allocation of tenders, the transport of workers dominated by the local taxi association and education.
“We were without electricity for three days in the Leeupoort-area. We had to buy our own cable and other fixtures to get our businesses and household up and running again.
“We fixed everything at our own expense. A contractor was sitting in his bakkie for a whole day. We asked him what he was waiting for and he replied that he is waiting for the municipality to pay him.
“They owed him money and he was not prepared to do any more work without payment. We should hold the municipality accountable,” Human concluded.
The youth of Delmas, skills development and the lack of colleges and training facilities, as well as safe and affordable preschool and after-school care facilities, were thrown into the discussion.
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Nettelie Goodgall said that she has been living in Delmas for the past five years and loves the town.
“I believe this town has potential, but residents must educate the youngsters. When you drive through town and Botleng, you see small children running up and down without any supervision, you see children going to school dirty.
“We need proper and affordable preschool and daycare entities, a university; people want the best for their children.
“I believe that business owners should stand together and invest in the future of the youth.
The taxi association should be willing to give a discount so that parents can afford to send their children to such daycare centres, and so that people can afford to go to work,” said Goodgall.
“It is about time that we pull up our socks, our children go to school hungry, and there are no proper feeding schemes or resources to further our children’s study possibilities. If you want to begin building Delmas, begin with the children.”
The planned ‘concerned citizens group’ aims to tackle the root cause of the problems, service delivery issues and job creation, and to make people proud of their town. A follow-up meeting will be held soon during which plans will be put to the table for the way forward.
