Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Anelia Smit and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Diphapang Mofokeng. See attached pictures here, here, and here.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Nketoana will write to the municipal manager, Mokete Nhlapo, for the municipality’s neglect of its cemetery and compel it to immediately resume its responsibility of maintaining it. Taxpayers cannot be expected to pay twice for the same service.
A recent oversight visit was conducted at the local cemetery. We were deeply concerned to find that the cemetery is not being maintained by the municipality at all.
The grass is extremely overgrown, while the road leading to the graveyard is eroded and full of potholes. These conditions are unacceptable and reflect an apparent failure of basic service delivery.
During our visit, we further observed a team cutting grass with weed eaters. On engagement, it became clear that they were not appointed by the municipality but rather by a local farmers’ association that had to pay from their own pockets to clean and maintain the cemetery.
It is unjust that taxpayers, who are already paying for these services, must now once again contribute extra to ensure that the work is done that the municipality is mandated to perform.
The DA finds this situation completely unacceptable and demands that the Nketoana Municipality urgently account for this failure and immediately start delivering the services residents are already paying for.
We remain committed to fighting for taxpayers’ rights and ensuring that basic services, such as cemetery maintenance, are delivered reliably and timeously.