Call for action on Ebenezer housing

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - The New Horizons Community Forum has challenged the Bitou Municipality to take action on housing discrepancies in the township - or else the community members will take to the streets.

At issue are housing applications for homes in Ebenezer that were found dumped in an area called Pinetrees on 21 August.

In a letter to the forum dated 3 October, Busakwe said the municipality's legal department had found there was "no evidence of councillors or municipal officials acting in a manner that was unlawful, unprocedural, or unethical".

She felt the matter had been sufficiently dealt with.

Ruduwhan Plaatjies, the forum's chairperson, said numerous requests for further clarification from Bitou Speaker Mavis Busakwe and DA Councillor Renicia Willemse have gone unheeded.

Knysna-Plett Herald has twice sent enquiries to Busakwe and Willemse. A reply was received from Willemse on 13 November. Comment from Busakwe will be added once received.

Accuracy
Willemse said that her name has been mentioned in connection with the alleged removal of documents, and wanted to clarify that she did not remove any documents herself.

"When I became aware of the dumped applications through a Facebook post, I immediately contacted the individual who had shared the information," she said.

"She informed me that there were additional documents still on site. I then contacted the responsible municipal official to evaluate the situation."

She said they did indeed discover papers in the alley, "... and I can confirm that the matter received the necessary attention from the relevant department.

My actions were taken solely to verify the accuracy of the information circulated on social media and to ensure that the situation was addressed through proper municipal channels.

"At no stage did I personally remove any documentation from the scene. I acted in good faith and in the best interest of the community, consistent with my duties as a PR councillor and as chairperson of the MPAC, to affirm the truth and ensure accountability."

Correspondence
Plaatjies said the discarding of the documents on open land was a dereliction of duty by a municipal official - resulting in a contravention of the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia), because personal information of more than 100 people was compromised.

The documents relate to housing applications made in 2007 for houses in Ebenezer portion 20. Copies of the documents with full correspondence between the forum and the municipality are in possession of the Knysna-Plett Herald.

Answers
After Busakwe's letter from 3 October, Plaatjies said the forum still needed answers and if they did not get them soon, "you'll see the 'hooligans' sometimes referred to, take to the streets".

He said there was a lack of commitment to the public and now many people who were on the housing list, according to the documents in the forum's possession, will not receive a home - even though they applied before others who have since received houses.

"It's a disgrace. We have all the documentation to prove the maladministration. The whole issue was swept under the carpet," said Plaatjies.

Bitou Councillor Renicia Willemse.