It’s crunch time for Margate
Fed up businessmen want value for their money.
MARGATE businesses say they are ready to close down if the Hibiscus Coast Municipality does not improve service delivery in the town.
Potholes, illegal car guards, uncut verges, and the poor Margate beach toilet facilities were top of the agenda, at a meeting between Margate Business Association and HCM held at Margate Sands conference room last Thursday.
Member of the MBA, Haydee Bothma, has made a video on the disturbing state of Margate. The video shows how the town has deteriorated over the years. It shows all parts of the town, from the litter to the poor beach facilities, it even shows the poor state of the Margate beach toilets.
This video was played for everyone at the meeting, and Ms Bothma emphasised that this video was not to embarrass the municipality but was to point out the state Margate is currently in.
“We are not here to fight with HCM, but we want service delivery,” she said. “We are concerned about the Margate beach toilet facilities. This was a big problem in December because holidaymakers had nowhere to urinate when they were visiting the beach,” she said.
“Business is not going well because of the shocking state of the town. I have businesses in this town and I am ready to close them down if there are no improvements, because no tourist wants to visit a messy town,” she said.
“We deserve proper service delivery because we pay rates. I believe councillors should also play their role in improving the town,” she added.
HCM deputy mayor Johnny de Wet, who attended the meeting, admitted that Margate is deteriorating, but also warned that no one should point fingers.
“Businesses can also contribute to fixing the town,” he said. “There are a lot who can contribute by giving their business a facelift. I believe it is unfair to point fingers, we can work together to improve this town,” he said.
The head of department of corporate services Sibusiso Nzimande advised members of MBA to make a list of grievances in order of importance so that the municipality can start with the most important..
He promised everyone at the meeting that the toilet situation would be the first thing which the municipality would fix. “I promise that by the Easter holidays the toilets will up and running,” said Mr Nzimande.
He also encouraged businessmen at the meeting to contact him whenever they had things they wanted to address.
