Recent Protests | Mossel Bay Municipality
Following the recent protest action in Mossel Bay, the Executive Mayor of the Mossel Bay Municipality, Alderman Harry Levendal, would like to thank all the residents and role players for their co-operation. Especially volunteer organisations, such as the various neighbourhood watches, need to be mentioned for their contributions. Alderman Levendal would like to assure all Mossel Bay residents that the Municipality is doing everything in its power to prevent similar situations. In this regard continuous negotiations and the involvement of all the important role players and the affected communities are extremely important. The Municipality fully understands the extent and impact of the recent protest action on all residents, organisations and businesses within the municipal area.
As far as Asla Park is concerned, incidents of violence continued for days. This resulted in Louis Fourie Road being closed for days and the community of Dana Bay being trapped. To defuse the situation, a municipal delegation under the leadership of the Mayor Levendal held a public meeting on 24 July 2018 with the community of Asla Park. A petition with the demands of the community was discussed. Later the same afternoon a meeting was held with 17 representatives of the Asla Park community to try and find workable solutions for the issues and grievances of the community.
• That landless people be given land
• That erf no 2001 be served for informal settlement and backyard dwellers
• That water and electricity not be cut to those who fail to pay
• That electricity boxes that were removed be returned
• That 2017/18 IDP meeting be convened and the normal procedure for calling the meeting be followed
• That paying customers not be affected by load shedding
• That free units of electricity and free water be granted without having to buy electricity first
• That social grants and low-income households be granted free municipal services
• That customers be allowed to buy electricity directly from Eskom
• For small businesses to be supported and not destroyed
• That the taxi industry be supported and involved in LED plans
• That the unemployment rate be reduced by involving the ward in plans
• That the high rate of drug users be reduced by providing support and activities for the youth
• That the establishment of the Asla Park taxi rank be investigated.
Na afloop van die protestoptrede waaronder Mosselbaai onlangs onderbuk gegaan het, wil Raadsheer Harry Levendal, die uitvoerende burgemeester van Mosselbaai Munisipaliteit, alle inwoners en rolspelers bedank vir hul samewerking. Veral vrywillige organisasies, soos die onderskeie buurtwagte moet vermeld word vir hul bydrae. Raadsheer Levendal stel alle Mosselbaai-inwoners gerus dat die Munisipaliteit alles in sy vermoë doen om soortgelyke situasies te voorkom. Hiervoor is deurlopende onderhandelings en betrokkenheid deur al die belangrike rolspelers en die geaffekteerde gemeenskappe uiters noodsaaklik. Die Munisipaliteit het ten volle begrip en begryp die omvang en impak van die onlangse protesoptrede op inwoners, organisasies en besighede in die munisipale gebied.
Wat Aslapark betref was daar voorvalle van geweld. Dit het veroorsaak dat Louis Fourie-weg dae lank gesluit was en die gemeenskap van Danabaai was vasgekeer. Om die protes te ontlont het ‘n munisipale delegasie onderleiding van die Burgemeester Levendal ‘n openbare vergadering op 24 Julie 2018 met die gemeenskap van Aslapark gehou. Die versoekskrif met eise van die gemeenskap is bespreek. Later dieselfde middag is daar met sowat 17 verteenwoordigers van die Aslapark-gemeenskap vergader om werkbare oplossings te probeer vind vir die aangeleenthede wat die gemeenskap grief.
• Die toekenning van grond aan persone wat nie grond besit nie
• Dat erf 2001 gediens word vir die vestiging van informele nedersettings en agterplaasbewoners
• Dat water en krag nie afgesny word na diegene wat wel betaal nie
• Dat kragbokse wat verwyder was teruggeplaas moet word
• Dat die 2017-18 GOP-vergaderings herskeduleer moet word en die normale kanale gevolg moet word om die gemeenskap daarvan in te lig
• Dat beurtkrag na formele huise langsaan informele nedersettings gestaak moet word
• Dat gratis eenhede krag en gratis water toegeken word sonder om eers krag aan te moet koop
• Dat lae-inkomste huishoudings en die wat staatstoelaes ontvang gratis munispale dienste moet geniet
• Dat krag direk vanaf Eskom aangekoop word
• Dat ondersteuning gebied word aan klein sakeondernemings
• Dat die taxibedryf ondersteun en betrek word by plaaslike ekonomiese ontwikkeling-beplanning
• Dat die werkloosheidsyfer verminder en Wyk 3 betrek word by beplanning
• Dat die hoë syfer dwelmverbruikers in die wyk ondersetun word met jeugprogramme
• Dat die oprigtingsproses van die Aslapark-taxistaanplek ondersoek word.