Port Edward, once a picturesque and welcoming village on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, is facing a slow but visible decline.
As the ward councillor for this area I am compelled to speak on behalf of the residents who are both deeply concerned and justifiably disillusioned.
This town is home primarily to retirees and small business owners, residents who are passionate about their community and strive to take pride in it.
However, they are being asked to carry an increasingly heavy burden.
In June, they will once again be expected to pay higher municipal rates.
Eskom tariffs continue to rise and Ugu plans to increase the cost of water, when in fact many residents go weeks without any water at all.
The once vibrant library and town hall are in disrepair. Basic road maintenance is reduced to a handful of days each month – when equipment and personnel are available.
Overgrown verges and dangerously overhanging trees make everyday commutes risky ventures. Law enforcement visibility is minimal and traffic lawlessness is increasingly the norm.
I can’t help comparing this sad situation with another small town called Howick, where the residents see tangible improvements each year that their DA council, and mayor Chris Pappas, buckles down and improves service delivery to the community.
Port Edward relies on 80-year-olds with wheelbarrows, filling potholes.
Here neighbours take care of each other, sharing water with those in greater need.
Requests are still sent to the municipality for essential services.
Hope, remarkably, still lives here.
STEPHANIE BREEDT
Ward 1 councillor
RNM
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