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Proposed NMB ward demarcation will further marginalize Northern Areas

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Dear MyPE

The nonsensical ward demarcation proposals for Nelson Mandela Bay by the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) will divide communities in the Northern Areas and further compromise service delivery in these already marginalized wards.

The proposals from the demarcation board seek to change existing ward boundaries dramatically.

The DA strongly objects to the irrational proposals by the Board which seeks to divide the community of Helenvale (Ward 13).

This move is in direct contravention of the Board’s own guidelines and will have a severely negative impact on service delivery to this impoverished community.

The MDB proposal seeks to divide the current ward in two, with roughly three-quarters of the existing ward being amalgamated into Ward 32. In doing this, the new wards would be broken up, which is in direct contravention of their own guidelines, that stipulates that each cluster of voting districts must form a contiguous ward.

In its proposal, the MDB has removed the voting districts of Helenvale Primary, Hillcrest Primary, and Word of Light Christian Works and moved these to Ward 32, which currently consists of Hillside.

Only the voting district of Bayview Primary School will stay in place as part of the new boundaries for Ward 13.

This proposed demarcation is a deliberate attempt to disorganise the Northern Areas and divide the community, in what appears to be a deliberate strategy to manipulate voting outcomes in next year’s local government elections.

The DA has previously stated that ward delimitation should never seek to produce a predetermined outcome that suits a particular political party’s agenda. The delimitation process must be fair and conducted in the interests of the affected communities.

If the Board goes ahead with its plan, residents of Helenvale will be forced to travel to the Ward 32 office, at Cleary Park, to get services.

The DA’s proposal is that Ward 13 be kept intact. There is a central ward office in Helenvale that is easily and safely accessible to all residents.

Similarly, the board also proposes that the community of Schauderville remains divided into two wards with the N2 national road running through the center of one of the proposed wards.

Another problem area relates to community of Algoa Park that will see the suburb spilt into two, with one of the proposals seeing a ward split by the Uitenhage Road.

The DA is currently in the process of finalizing its proposals to the Demarcation Board. We believe that ward boundaries must be determined in such a manner so as to not only create cohesive communities but also make basic service delivery accessible to all

As part of its mandate, the MDB seeks to promote socio-economic development, democratic participation, equality, and access to services. Its proposals for demarcation in Nelson Mandela Bay flies in the face of this.

We will fight to guarantee that all communities receive fair access to service delivery.

Regards

Cllr Rano Kayser
PE Northern Areas Constituency Chairperson

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