Stop opposing democracy

EDITOR – I applaud Jeff van Belkum in his letter to the Sun dated 11 July for stating it like it is.

The manner in which Ackerman and Horn have conducted themselves in the witch-hunt on Beetge is nothing short of disgusting.

They remind me of primary school bullies. It is patently clear that it is political sour grapes. In spite of intense vilification, Beetge has come out tops because he has not stooped to their level in his reply.

One must appreciate what Beetge is up against. He is in a ‘David and Goliath’ situation but without a sling or a stone. He is hamstrung by an ANC-run municipality who control everything including finance within his ward. The failings we face are a carry-over of years of poor management by an ANC municipality run mostly by people with little training, knowledge or experience in their jobs or infrastructure maintenance.

The flooding of local rivers, roads and the bird-park with sewage over many years and the municipality’s tardy response to endless public cries and the health hazard and degradation of our natural habitat is a failing of the municipality. That is why the ANC has lost the seat. Failure to breach the river mouth during high rainfall periods, assisting with a scavenging clean out of the river system at least annually and lack of managing the river led to an ever-increasing lagoon causing erosion and the subsequent railway line collapse and the train derailment as well as the build up of hyacinth and sewage.

We have a major problem with invasive water hyacinth, a major contributor of which is sewage. The ANC and its henchmen like Ackerman and Horn are experts at pointing fingers but hopeless at accepting accountability. As longstanding ANC members, why are we in this disgusting rundown situation? Now they are trying to muscle in to collect kudos for a job being done by a dedicated group of locals prepared to work in icy, sewage-laden water without reward and with little recognition. Not to forget that these volunteers are cleaning up the mess caused by the ANC municipality. The fact that a few municipal workers have joined in is ‘too little too late’ – a knee-jerk reaction to losing a seat after 20 years of messing up. A small group of locals is doing what the ANC would/could not do – how embarrassing. The ANC is angry at losing a seat and are resorting to disgusting tactics for revenge.

Let Beetge be there to encourage these true determined ‘saints’ of our community, after all it is his ward. As in ‘Survivor’, the tribe has spoken.

The issue of vagrants/prostitutes is also historical, partly due to massive job losses in the face of ANC promises to create six million new jobs. It cannot be a coincidence that a multitude of vagrants from ANC-run Durban were rounded up into trucks, dispossessed of clothing and meagre belongings including ID documents and dumped smack in the centre of ward 97 Toti. Why Toti of all places in KZN? Is it because it is a DA seat? What other reason is there – except that it would help to discredit Beetge and Toti. Horn and Ackerman should have been waiting to welcome these poor, homeless people to our town. Why didn’t the ANC give these vagrants RDP houses and air it on the SABC, as they usually do. This move sounds as stupid as moving the whoonga/Albert Park people to Berea Park outside DUT. Problem solved. No proper rehab, no consultation just ‘move’ the human problem. Go figure that one.

As for Ackerman’s “I spoilt my vote” comments. The comment on the form is lost in the wilderness because a spoiled vote is just a spoiled vote and no-one will ever read it. All it does is reflect indecision on the part of the voter. Why would anyone bother to go to a polling station to do that? For Ackerman and Horn to say they are only interested in the people of and Toti itself has to be an outright lie. They are so disparaging in their remarks in the media about Beetge who is elected by the people of Toti that it paints the most negative view of Toti, the voters and Beetge. Even the public have been insulted by the comments. To Ackerman and Horn I want to say that all the words you utter are useless without positive, measurable action. Instead of shouting like children from the sidelines, why not get behind the person who is democratically elected and add some impetus to progress instead of breaking down our people and our town.

I think it is time for every person who voted for Beetge to get behind him in every possible way to help him achieve some level of delivery against incredible odds.

I am not a ward 97 ratepayer but am deeply disturbed by the behaviour of the ANC opposition. They are opposing democracy. They would do well to watch the film “Invictus” to appreciate the great Madiba’s dream and how he persevered for a rainbow nation. Oh, how far we have drifted from that dream in the name of greed, racism and dominance. Remember Nelson’s words: “If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what the ANC did to the apartheid government.”