DA vows to rescue Knysna residents from ‘brink of destruction’

DA vows to rescue Knysna residents from ‘brink of destruction’

The DA has vowed to rescue residents of the Knysna Municipality from the current coalition government amid a water and refuse removal issues that has gripped the town.

The party said they initiated a two-day oversight visit to Knysna over the weekend which revealed shocking service delivery issues.

DA Western Cape Premier Candidate Alan Winde said the town was captured by the ANC/EFF/Patriotic Alliance (PA) coalition and is being driven to the brink of destruction.

Knysna residents highlight service delivery issues

Knysna residents highlighted the dire effects of this municipality’s failures during a meeting with the party on Saturday.

“Knysna residents are no longer guaranteed basic service delivery.

Their daily challenges border on human rights violations with intermittent water supply, sewage spills, and refuse clogging the streets.

Their town’s decline is impacting the local economy and job creation, as well as their health and safety – a decomposing corpse was discovered in one of the drinking water sources last year.

Rates and taxes have been severely hiked, and a recent clerical error meant that residents had to pay those astronomical charges twice,” he said.

DA calls for an investigation

Winde said he will write to the Western Cape legislature to request an investigation into the situation in the town.

“The DA encourages Knysna residents to punish the coalition of corruption with their votes in the national and provincial elections on 29 May 2024.

The future of Knysna is in the hands of local residents – we implore them to let their votes be guided by their lived realities and keep the Western Cape out of the hands of parties who not only failed to deliver on their promises, but are driving their town to the brink of destruction.

Parties like the ANC, EFF, and PA promise communities the world, but the moment they govern, communities deteriorate rapidly,” he said.

Knysna mayor Aubrey Tsengwa said the municipality was evaluating a number of options to ensure that the issue is not repeated in the future.

“We are working hard to fix the issue under our current financial and operational constraints and are investigating concrete implementations to prevent similar crises from occurring in the future,” Tsengwa said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICES BY SIPHOKAZI VUSO