BRITS POS – BRITS – “Although the DA welcomes the projects mentioned by the Premier in his recent media briefing, we still caution the residents of North West not to get swooped up in the array of empty promises.
We have heard it all before,” says Jóhni Steenkamp – DA Chief Whip in North West.
The promise of rolling out key service delivery programmes has been promised repeatedly by one Premier after the other.
However, residents of North West can attest to the fact that no action has been taken. Large areas still face the daily struggles without the basic human needs such as water and sanitation.
“The Premier further bragged about the three municipalities that obtained an unqualified audit opinion. 13% is hardly something to be too proud of. In the DA-run Western Cape, a whopping 86% of the 30 municipalities achieved unqualified audit opinions.
The DA also welcomes the various water and sanitation projects promised by the Premier. These projects will come at a cost of over R66 million. However, the DA is concerned about completed projects such as the elevated steel tanks and reservoirs in Moses Kotane, which became white elephants before pumping even a single drop of water into the reticulation system.
In Moretele, hopes of residents were raised by the then President Zuma, who announced the imminent construction of the Klipdrift water treatment plant, but more than a decade later the project seems to be one of the bottomless pits in which millions of rands disappeared.
“The DA welcomes the Premier’s concern over the unemployment in our province. Unemployment in North West is currently at 52.4%. Leaving 47.6% in a vulnerable position of being dependent on government grants. This is exactly why the DA Caucus Leader and MPL in the North West Provincial Legislature, Freddy Sonakile, tabled a Notice of Motion to debate the “NW government’s lack of concrete economic plans, which led to a bloodbath of job losses.” This debate is scheduled for 26 November.
Scholar transport is a huge problem the DA has been emphasising for many years. The DA, through its Spokesperson on Education, CJ Steyl, tabled a Notice of a Motion to debate “The transfer of the function of Scholar Transport from the Department of Community Safety and Transport management to the Department of Education”.
It is time the Premier grasps the fact that promises lead to expectations, and expectations lead to accountability. The DA will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the Premier stays true to his promises.
