PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Bitou Municipality has recently offered an apology about some council documents in the municipal agenda of 27 February, which indicated that land owned by the Griqua community at Jackalskraal, opposite Kranshoek, was earmarked for a proposed new prison.

These plans for the proposed state-of-the-art, new-generation correctional facility highlighted this piece of land as one of three possible sites for it. The others were Covie Trust and Krantzbosch Farm.

However, no municipal officials had consulted with the Griqua community and its leadership about this item on the agenda, said Chief Brentino Hannes of the Griqua National Conference (GNC) in Kranshoek.

"The Bitou Council deeply regrets this situation," said a letter from the acting municipal manager, Alan Paulse, blaming the ensuing ruckus on a 'typing error'.

The council agenda document said "the Griqua Development Trust aspires to sell a minimum of 25ha to the correctional services while inspiring them to source their supplies directly from the trust", the idea being that the correctional facility would be able to source fresh produce and milk directly from the trust farm, creating an agricultural opportunity.

However, Hannes said an 'if' was accidentally left out of the above excerpt: "... if the Griqua Development Trust aspires to sell ..."

The council item caused much strife in the Griqua community, said Hannes, and there were accusations that the trust had been involved in underhanded dealings over Jackalskraal.

Hannes said in November, the GNC had written an official request to the Western Cape Department of Infrastructure for it to attend to neglected basic services in the area, such as roads, bus terminals and housing. "Our needs are different - we need jobs and local township economic development," he said.

Paulse said in a letter to Hannes dated 20 March: "We are writing to address and clarify the unfortunate miscommunication due to a typing error in the council item presented before the Bitou Council on 27 February 2025.

"The Bitou Council deeply regrets this situation and calls for calm and understanding from the Griekwa Trust, the Chief and the Griekwa community."

Hannes said the conference accepted the municipality's apology. In a note accom-panying the council's apology, he reiterated to the Griqua community that the GNC will "at all times be transparent and that all internal processes will be followed".

"But in this case, it is our responsibility to hold the Bitou Council accountable for poor, unsubstantiated and false information," he said.

Hannes said only the chairperson of the Covie Trust had been approached by the Bitou Municipality over the proposed prison item contained in the council agenda.

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