Smuts calls for housing, electricity funding

SEDGEFIELD NEWS - For the first time in years, residents of Smutsville on Monday 21 August took to the streets to protest and showcase their dissent regarding a lack of service delivery in the area.

The protest took form on Monday morning and while by and large it sought to take action against a lack of service delivery in Smutsville, the protest focused on two main factors – housing and electrification.

A memorandum touching on all of the points of contention was compiled and handed to Knysna Mayor Aubrey Tsengwa during the protest.

Ward 1 councillor Levael Davis pointed his and the community's frustrations. "I have, on a number of occasions, been vocal in the Council and in the media regarding two of the items, namely: housing and electrification.

Sedgefield received very little from this year's approved budget allocation. This is concerning because, over the last three years, much work has been done in this regard," Davis said.

Where's the budget?

"In the 2022/23 financial year, provincial grant amounts of +R12 Million and +R26 Million was approved in the final MTREF budget for the outer years of 2023/24 and 2024/25, respectively (Appendix 1). This money is not reflected in this year's budget which means that either the business plan was changed in favour of other areas or projects or the money was removed due to a lack of project progress, slow or non-spending."

According to Davis, having no provincial grant allocation in the final budget means that there is no money for housing this year. "This question needs to be addressed honestly by the mayor," he said.

"On the electricity item, I have consistently bemoaned the fact that Smutsville received no INEP funding for this year even though we applied like every other ward. Other wards received millions."Members of the public order police unit monitored the situation throughout the protest.

No allocation in the budget

Municipal Manager Ombali Sebola provided the municipality's response to the comments.

"Unfortunately, there has been no allocation within the 2023/24 budget for the project in question. The Department of Human Settlements has, however, made provisions for the installation of services in the upcoming fiscal years," he said.

"Specifically, an allocation of R12 million has been designated for the year 2024/25, and an allocation of R15.8 million for the subsequent fiscal year, 2025/26 the funds have been earmarked for the construction of 100 houses."

He also indicated that the municipality is in discussion with the provincial department office in George regarding the implementation of the aforementioned project.

"Notably, a new professional team with expertise in housing projects was appointed in March of this year. This team has been tasked with prioritising the project and has commenced work on the design for the installation of services in the Sedgefield area. Once the designs have been finalised, they will be submitted to the Department of Human Settlements for the requisite approval."

Sebola pointed out that the Department of Energy is responsible for the allocation of funding, based on its own criteria.

"Specifically, in the previous year, Ward 1 received funding while other wards did not. This year, the allocation of funds has been distributed differently, with some wards receiving funding and others not.

"Furthermore, there exists an internal budget that has been designated to address the concerns and issues pertinent to Ward 1."

Protestors gather at the entrance to Smutsville.