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Kouga launches platform for whole-of-society municipal participation

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Dear Editor

The Democratic Alliance-led Kouga Municipality has launched an official platform to include the ‘whole-of-society’ approach in addressing critical issues in the municipality. The platform will serve as a vehicle where experts, skilled stakeholders, and any person or organisation that believes they can make a valuable contribution – can engage, formulate, and develop practical solutions, strategies and innovations.

The first of these platform engagements will focus on addressing the state of roads in the municipality and is set for Tuesday, 12 September 2023, in Jeffreys Bay.

As a result of various factors such as the age of the infrastructure, the method of construction in the 1970s, massive population growth and adverse weather conditions, many roads have reached the end of their lifespan. The issue is further exacerbated by the fact that 66.3% of the roads within the municipality are provincial roads which are not being maintained effectively by the Department of Roads and Transport as per their mandate.

The Democratic Alliance and the DA-led Kouga Municipality recognise the pivotal role which various stakeholders, including the business community, private sector, community-based organisations and individuals, can play in finding solutions to these issues that affect all of us. We acknowledge that in truly achieving progress, we all need to take hands and work together as a broader cross-section of society.

All stakeholders that believe they can contribute to the mission to address the state of Kouga’s roads, whether it be in the form of expertise, advice (civil, financial or engineering), finances, strategy, assistance in terms of plant and product or any other contribution are invited to take part. This initiative is a call to action in finding solutions and implementing strategies.

Since taking over the government of Kouga in 2016 the DA has placed the municipality back on a track of prosperity, but decades of ANC mismanagement of Eastern Cape provincial roads have led to a total collapse of infrastructure. Only by joining hands with the whole of society can we chart a way forward and find a speedy resolution to this problem.

Regards

Dr Vicky Knoetze MPL
Tsitsi-Kouga Constituency Leader

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