Several community halls in Standerton are in a state of disrepair, posing a serious danger to residents and rendering these structures nearly unusable due to their conditions.

According to Clr Wilma Venter of the FF Plus, the roof of the Ext 6 community hall has collapsed. The Stanwest community hall is also in poor condition, with the roof regularly collapsing during meetings, exposing community members to risks of injury.

Furthermore, the roof of the Standerton town hall was damaged four years ago during a storm and has not been repaired since.

According to Venter, these halls are occupied by security guards and cleaners daily and are not only used for meetings, but also rented out for private functions.

Venter explained that the FF Plus brought a formal motion to the council, calling for urgent steps to address these problems.

“The motion was initially declared lost, but after constant pressure, it was eventually tabled to council as an ordinary item,” stated Venter.

This was followed by the unanimous decision to close all affected halls to the public immediately, pending thorough safety inspections of the halls. Venter explained that despite this decision, no steps have been taken to follow up on this resolution.

“The fact that these buildings are still in use not only constitutes administrative negligence, but also a gross violation of a binding council resolution and the relevant legal framework,” stated Venter.

The Municipal Systems Act states that the municipality is obliged to implement council resolutions, and section 152 of the constitution stipulates that all municipal services must be delivered in a safe and sustainable manner.

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Venter said failure to comply with these laws undermines the rule of law and leads to maladministration. Venter stated that the FF Plus will table another motion to enforce the existing resolution and demand the immediate closure of all unsafe halls.

According to Venter, the FF Plus will also be demanding an independent structural assessment by qualified engineers, as well as a comprehensive public report on the condition of these facilities.

“Should anyone be injured, the municipality could be held liable for damages due to gross negligence,” stated Venter.

Venter concluded by stating that officials who deliberately disregard council resolutions face consequences in terms of the MFMA.
The Lekwa Local Municipality did not provide a comment at the time of going to print.