Knysna resident Theo Stehle writes:
I have been a resident of Knysna for over 40 years and a ratepayer for 19 years. For by far the majority of this time Knysna has had a well-run municipality, with some exceptions.
However, receiving news that the municipality is virtually bankrupt, after various scandals involving corrupt senior municipal officials and councillors, is shocking. The ANC culture of deploying cadres to defraud, plunder and steal finances and assets meant for the well-being of the town and its inhabitants, has finally caught up with Knysna. It's no wonder that the corrupt council has raised property taxes to exorbitant heights. This is criminal misuse of the legal base for taxing property owners and should be rejected in no uncertain terms.
In the meantime, neglect has taken over, inter alia in my residential neighbourhood: streets and sidewalks are a disgrace with potholes and weeds taking over, traffic lines haven't seen paint for years, stray cattle are roaming the streets, and drains are cluttered with filth. Municipal property and private erven are becoming overgrown with alien invasive plants, providing a fuel load for the next wildfire disaster to take place. A ray of light is the upgrade of the water and sewage system recently, and a lot of credit for that has to go to the head of water services, Mr. Rhoydon Parry.
The only conclusion that can be arrived at is that the money meant for the running of the town and especially maintenance of the infrastructure, has lined the pockets of a few corrupt people mismanaging the town. Was that the objective of the struggle against apartheid?
