Uvongo Urban Improvement Precinct needs more votes
The issue is that the Uvongo Ratepayers and Residents Association (URRA) needs 150 votes from ratepayers who are non-residents which is why they have been hard to contact.
Uvongo residents are only 150 signatures away from successfully launching the Uvongo Urban Improvement Precinct (UIP).
However, the issue is that the Uvongo Ratepayers and Residents Association (URRA) needs 150 votes from ratepayers who are non-residents and it has been difficult to get hold of them.
This was revealed during the URRA’s AGM held at the Uvongo Library recently.
During the meeting, Harry Mole had over 2 000 votes with only 1775 votes being verifiable.
“We are 150 votes shy. Another issue is that when people vote they do not put a clear indication of lot numbers and email addresses. There are a bunch of votes on the voters roll that we cannot identify in the database and that is a bit of a problem. Also, the problem is that I still don’t have the feedback from Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) via our councillor concerning the verification process. The last thing we want to do is take this to RNM and ask them to kick-start the process and then they find problems in our proposal,” said Mole.
Meanwhile, ward councillor George Henderson suggested a way that URRA can contact the property owners who have not voted regarding the idea of the UIP.
Henderson said RNM had previously suggested that a link could be sent via SMS to all the ratepayers, saying that it would be 70 cents per SMS.
“I think we have exhausted our local population, most of the 1 775 people that voted are our locals. We are not getting hold of the owners. In Uvongo, more than 60% of the owners are non-residents. I think here we have done what we can. Our strategy should be to go straight for the non-residents that is the only way we can get that 150 votes. The issue is that the council is not allowed to share information about homeowners with us because of the POPI Act. And it would cost about R6 000 in total to send those SMSes,” said Henderson, adding that the organisation can use its money from the previous financial year to pay for the SMSes, saying that once the UIP has been established, they can always claim the money back.
He added that the voting system in question is perfect and acceptable for the council.
During the AGM, Hardus Coetzee was re-elected as URRA chairperson.
Coetzee said the purpose of establishing the UIP is to improve safety and security in the area which spans from the St Mike’s bridge through Uvongo and up to portions of Manaba.
“The UIP system is working well in other areas and there is no reason for it to fail in Uvongo. For those who say they cannot afford it, if you can own a property you can definitely afford R40 a month,” he said, adding that for more information on the UIP or URRA email hardusc@intekom.co.za
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