Report by Bev Mortimer
A week before the SA National elections about 500 young people , many of whom were first time voters, from Kouga, converged on Oceanview , Jeffreys Bay, yesterday at 8 am and marched to Kouga Municipality’s offices to air their grievances the lack of services in their respective townships . Many were bussed or taxied in from as far afield as Hankey and Loerie, Humansdorp and from St Francis Bay’s Sea Vista area.
The marchers were reported to be orderly and were escorted during the march by SAPS and traffic police.
The handed over the following memorandum to mayor Hattingh Bornman.
The list of grievances read:
1. The Municipality must provide a list of projects as they appear in the Procurement Plan for the next financial year that will create meaningful employment opportunities for the youth across Kouga Local Municipality for the next 36 Months.
2. The Municipality must immediately stop victimizing our people in the workplace on the basis of assumed political associations based on the colour of the skin, which is racism.
3. The Municipality must work towards revising its recruitment policy to speak to locality rather than externally and also give a framework with the private sector to strictly prioritise local people for operational level job opportunities.
4. The Municipality must include as part of its approved budget for the 2024/25 financial year the following programmes:
(a) Provision of study bursaries that must fund learners from previously disadvantaged groups, learners must be picked from all High Schools across Kouga LM.
(b) Provision of bursaries for sports codes that are common within the areas of Kouga, this must cater learners from previously disadvantaged groups in each academic year.
5. All local libraries must be well equipped and maintained especially in areas where Africans and Coloured people are living.
6. Children’s playgrounds must be built in all areas of Kouga and the existing ones must be well maintained, refurbished where necessary and be properly fenced.
7. Drug and Alcohol abuse forum must be established for young people around Kouga areas, assisted by qualified professionals in each Ward.
8. An immediate investment into infrastructure in the locations and a clear practical plan with reasonable timeframes for upgrading of internal roads in each ward because infrastructure development creates job opportunities.
9. An immediate fixing of electricity lines in all the informal settlements around Kouga as no streetlights are dangerous to the people living in these conditions.
10. Provision of Housing and decent human settlement for all.
11. A clear plan on how the Municipality will support SMMEs and a plan for quarterly trainings and workshops for SMMEs in an aid to build internal capacity as it relates to LED.
12. The Municipality must provide a clear plan and work hand in hand with the SAPS to deal with the out of hand gangsterism in the areas of Kouga.
Kouga Municipality clr, Brenton Williams, handed over the following reply to the marchers’ leaders, including, Ntokozo Lethina, who gave the municipality seven days to respond:
“The Kouga Local Municipality herewith acknowledges the receipt of the petition as submitted by the ANC Youth League and receipted by the Executive Mayor on behalf of the Speaker of Council: Alderman Brenton Williams.
“The Municipality place a high regard on the rights of its communities, especially the right to decency and basic services that falls within the objectives of Local Government.
“Kouga Local Municipality therefore regards all communication, petitions and any other form of dialogue as an opportunity to give affect to exercising it’s constitutional / mandatory obligation.
“Your correspondence is herewith given the necessary attention at the executive management level and relevant departments and a formal, written response will be supplied within seven (7) business days from date hereof.
The Municipality wish to thank you for exercising your rights to participate effectively in the affairs of the municipality.”
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