Witzenberg Political Viewpoints

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="042085a3.jpg"> <div> <I>Witzenberg Political Viewpoints</I></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="043d2e83.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="146" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Information"><B><U>Home</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="witzenberg_location.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Location"><B><U>Location</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="witzenberg_historical.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Historical"><B><U>Historical</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="witzenberg_property.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Property"><B><U>Property</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="140" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="140" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="political_viewpoints.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Political Viewpoints"><B><U>Political Viewpoints</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="political_viewpoints.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Political Viewpoints"><B><U>Local Politics</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="political_viewpoints.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Political Viewpoints"><B><U>Municipal affairs</U></B></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="20" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="140" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="140"><div> <A HREF="contact_us.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><B><U>Contact</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B> </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" background="04407073.jpg"> <div> <B>Political Viewpoints</B><B> - there are plenty of those!  Local Politics - much of that too! Municipal affairs - all about that too!</B></div> <div> <B>Yes, </B><B>in a democratic society such as we have here in South Africa, </B><B>sometimes someone has to </B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Stylus BT" ><B>'say it out loud' </B></FONT><B>?</B></div> <div> <B>This site will offer such viewpoints but in respect of that which affects this community on a local level.</B></div> <div> <B>Some may say that one should only say positive things about one's Municipality? Why should one do that, if the Municipality and the system is not performing well?</B></div> <div> <B>Until now, this Municipality, the District Council and the various Provincial Government departments,appear to be  functioning in a world of their own! The Municipality appears to be have been doing all sorts of things without any regard to the norms that a Ratepayer would expect of it, or simply not doing! The higher tiers of Government seem to have given the Municipality and the Mayoral Executive Committee absolute power with no checks and balances, to protect the ordinary citizen.</B></div> <div> <B>So, until the webmaster is satisfied that the Witzenberg Municipality is doing it's job well, this site will be critical of it. The criticism will be constructive if it is understood that this is a democracy and voices and opinions should be heard and possibly acted upon when the comment deserves some attention? When positve and sound governance is apparent, praises will be sung for the Municipality.</B></div> <div> <B>The following links will lead the viewer to various topics which are believed to be of interest to the community and a point of view that is designed to coerce the Municipality and the higher levels of Government, to take note.</B></div> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="562" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="550"><div> <A HREF="amalgamated_municipalities.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Amalgamated Municipalities"><B><U>The Combined Municipality - is it conducive to good and efficient governance?</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="council_meetings.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg Council meetings"><B><U>Non-attendance by Councilors at Council meetings</U></B></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="550"><div> <A HREF="encroachment_of_street_boundary_tulbagh.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Encroachment of street boundary Tulbagh"><B><U>Illegal structures and encroachments</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 39 WIDTH="550"><div> <A HREF="nature_reserve_tulbagh.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Galgehuewel Nature Reserve"><B><U>Goats allowed to graze the fynbos at the Galgehuewel Municipal Nature Reserve and drink out of the polluted Klip river</U></B></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="563" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 97 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>13 July, 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <A HREF="appeal_eskom_power_line.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Appeal against the 765kv power line prop"><B>Various community organisations and indivuduals of Witzenberg, submit an Appeal to the Department of Environment and Tourism against the proposed 765 kv Power Line which Eskom intends bringing though the Winzenberg valleys of Tulbagh and Ceres</B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 77 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>13 July, 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <A HREF="backtrack_eskom.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg backtrack on Eskom Power Line"><B>Witzenberg Municipality does a backtrack on it's decision and decides not to appeal against the Decision by DEAT to issue a Record of Decision for Eskom to proceed</B></A><A HREF="backtrack_eskom.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Witzenberg backtrack on Eskom Power Line"><B> with the monstrous power line.</B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 154 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>29 Sept 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <B>New spirit of cooperation between the Witzenberg municipality and the community prevails at last. Examples of cooperative and consultative governance recently, have been the development of a more sensible Spatial Framework plan for Tulbagh, positve developments in resolving the Tulbagh Water crisis and discussions to resolve the matter of inadaquate functioning of the Ward Committees and the lack of public discipline in Tulbagh. </B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 58 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>29 Sept 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <B>Municipality is to be congratulated for the improved state of cleanliness apparent in Tulbagh. In fact visitors are now remarking on how clean the town has become!</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 115 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>16 Nov 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <A HREF="ward_committee_fiasco.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ward Committee fiasco 2006"><B>No futher response from a letter by the Tulbagh Ratepayers / Inwoners Forum dated 22 August 2006 about the way the local Ward Councillor has attempted to manipulate the results of the Ward Committee elctions.</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="ward_committee_fiasco.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ward Committee fiasco 2006"><B>Once again the Municipality is showing that the 'so called' new Spirit of Cooperation cannot last</B></A><B>?</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 97 ><NOBR><div> <B><U>16 Nov.</U></B></div> <div> <B><U>2006</U></B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <A HREF="raw_sewerage_in_the_klip_riv.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raw Sewerage in the Klip River "><B>What appears to be </B></A><A HREF="raw_sewerage_in_the_klip_riv.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raw Sewerage in the Klip River "><B>Raw sewerage flows freely into the Klip River at the Klip River Caravan Park again! So the situation is now gettin worse and the authorities who are the custodians of the water resourses of the Berg River catchment area sit fiddling with their thumbs?</B></A></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 173 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>16 Nov.2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <B>Webmaster is advised that the Ward Committee elections have been declared by the Municipality at a meeting on 12 October, 2006 to be nul and void (unlawful).</B></div> <div> <B>The notice was apparently posted in the Witzenberg Herald issue of 10 November, 2006 but the Ratepayers / Inwoners Forus has yet never had a response to it's representation. Be that as it may, a battle has been won. There is still hope for democracy and we that the municipality for a wise decision.</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 58 WIDTH="85"><div> <B><U>22 Nov. 2006</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="459"><div> <A HREF="raw_sewerage_in_the_klip_riv.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Raw Sewerage in the Klip River "><B>Positive response my the Municipal Manager to the pollution of the Klip River. Co-operative governance is alive and well!</B></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>