Maluti-A-Phofung Nuus: Harrismith wil kamele melk, maar daar is geen krag...?

VS-muni begroot vir kameel melkery wyl dorp struikel
Cheréne Pienaar

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n Appelprosesseringsaanleg van R240 miljoen, ’n kameelmelkery van R150 miljoen en ’n geelvis-teelprojek van R150 miljoen vir die Vrystaat is eers van die baan nadat beleggers van Mexiko onttrek het.
Die Maluti-a-Phofung-munisipaliteit (Kestell, Qwaqwa en Harrismith) gaan eers konsentreer om die Eskom-skuld van R5,3 miljard af te betaal. So sê Tseko Mothamaha, die munisipale bestuurder. Hy het reageer op talle klagtes oor die feit dat Harrismith reeds van einde Julie geen elektrisiteit-toevoer het nie.
Dit terwyl grootskaalse projekte in die munisipaliteit se ontwikkelingsplan van 2020/2021, wat in Netwerk24 se besit is, glo goedgekeur is. Mothamaha sê daar sou ook ’n splinternuwe winkelsentrum in Qwa Qwa gebou word.  “Maar die beleggers het weens korona onttrek.”


Die bestuurspan van die HIT (Harrismith; Intabazwe and Tshiame) Residents Association wat uit sakelui wat die gemeenskap verteenwoordig bestaan, is woedend oor die reuse projekte wat beplan is terwyl besighede nou moet sluit weens ’n gebrek aan basiese dienslewering soos krag, terwyl hulle boonop die gevolge van die inperking moet oorleef. In ’n dokument met hul terugvoer op die ontwikkelingsplan, skryf hulle die “foutiewe dokument wys net daarop dat die munisipaliteit en sy raadslede nie ’n idee het wat binne die munisipaliteit aangaan nie”. Hulle skryf die munisipaliteit se administrasie soos dit in sy huidige formaat is, is eenvoudig nie herstelbaar nie, totaal bankrot met ’n totaal onproduktiewe personeel. Willem König, voorsitter, sê afgesien van die feit dat besighede hier al reeds vir 28 dae geen krag het nie, is daar ook vir jare nie meer enige rioolwerking nie. Voorts hoop die vullissakke op en vloei daar riool voor besighede en deur die sinkhuise in die nedersettings verby. Hul klagtes aand die MAP val op dooie ore, sê hy. “In die Covid-tyd het hulle besluit om vir elkeen van die 1 400 werknemers by die munisipaliteit ’n 28%-verhoging te gee. Ons sien hulle nie! Hulle doen niks nie. Ons verwyder die swart sakke en rommel. Hierdie ouens is non-existent.”

’n Nuwe kragkabel is Sondag in die Hardustria industriële gebied installeer. Mothamaha sê mense moet besef hy is nog redelik nuut (hy is 27 Maart in diens gestel) en dat die uitdagings enorm, “maar nie onoorkombaar nie”, is. “Daar is talle inwoners en fabrieke wat onwettige konneksies met Eskom se kragstasie het. Dit gee ons probleme in terme van ons kapasiteit.”Hy sê hulle beplan om Dinsdagoggend verskeie klagtes in verband hiermee by die polisie in te dien. Van die R5,3 miljard wat die munisipaliteit aan Eskom skuld, is R1,5 miljard rente. Hy sê hy het R72 miljoen in Julie aan Eskom betaal; “’n eerste in die geskiedenis van die munisipaliteit”.


#Netwerk24 #MalutiAPhofung #GeenDiensLewering

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Maluti-A-Phofung News: Harrismith wants to milk camels, but there is no power ...?

“FS municipality budgets for a camel dairy while the town stumbles”
Cheréne Pienaar
 
An apple processing plant of R240 million, a camel dairy of R150 million and a yellow-fish breeding project of R150 million for the Free State are only off the track after investors withdrew from Mexico. The Maluti-a-Phofung Municipality (Kestell, Qwaqwa and Harrismith) will first concentrate on paying off the Eskom debt of R5.3 billion. So says Tseko Mothamaha, the municipal manager. He has responded to numerous complaints about the fact that Harrismith has had no electricity supply since the end of July. This while large-scale projects in the municipality's development plan of 2020/2021, which is in the possession of Netwerk24, have apparently been approved. Mothamaha says a brand new shopping center would have also been built in Qwa Qwa. "But the investors withdrew due to corona."
 
The management team of the HIT (Harrismith; Intabazwe and Tshiame) Residents Association, which consists of businessmen representing the community, is furious about the huge projects planned while businesses have had to close due to a lack of basic service delivery such as power, while trying to survive because of the restriction.  In a document with their feedback on the development plan, they write that the "incorrect document only indicates that the municipality and its councilors have no idea what is going on within the municipality". The municipality's administration as it is in its current format is simply not recoverable, totally bankrupt with totally unproductive staff. Willem König, chairman, says that apart from the fact that businesses here have not had power for 28 days, there has also been no sewage operation for years. Furthermore, the garbage bags pile up and sewage flows past businesses and through the corrugated iron houses in the settlements. Their complaints to MAP have been falling on deaf ears to date, he says.  "During the Covid era, they decided to give each of their 1400 employees at the municipality a 28% increase. We do not see them! They do nothing. We remove the black bags and rubbish. These guys are non-existent. ”
 
A new power cable was installed in the Hardustria industrial area on Sunday. Mothamaha says people need to realize that he is still fairly new (he was hired on March 27) and that the challenges are enormous, "but not insurmountable". "There are numerous residents and factories that have illegal connections with Eskom's power station. It gives us problems in terms of our capacity. ”He says they plan to lodge several complaints in this regard with the police on Tuesday morning. Of the R5.3 billion that the municipality owes to Eskom, R1.5 billion is interest. He says he paid R72 million to Eskom in July; "A first in the history of the municipality".