The Democratic Alliance (DA) voted against Dawid Kruiper’s budget because it overlooks growing unemployment and fails to support economic growth and job creation in and around Upington.
The ongoing insufficient investment into infrastructure such as roads, power supply, safety measures and water and sanitation will continue to stifle growth in the business and industrial sector. The ineffective management of the township economy by the Dawid Kruiper municipality is also detrimental to previously disadvantaged South Africans. Income generated in the municipality, leaves the country without being ploughed back into communities.
A large portion of the Dawid Kruiper community is also unemployed and dependent on grants.
All of the above have the knock-on effect of placing an additional burden on the shrinking sector that can still afford to pay its levies and buy electricity. To compensate for those who can’t or don’t pay, they face a cumulative increase of approximately 5% when taking into consideration all taxes, charges and tariffs. This includes higher fees for deteriorating services, on top of additional costs for private supplementary services like solar power, water tanks, private security and community initiatives to clean-up residential areas.
Some pensioners on the higher end of the scale, have even resorted to selling their homes in exchange for informal stands and dwellings, to be able to survive. It’s a vicious cycle that is making Dawid Kruiper and its residents poorer.
The DA will continue fighting for the municipality to embrace business and the townships economy, as well as to offer incentives for investment, and put municipal assets under good management to generate income, promote growth and create jobs.
Dawid Kruiper desperately needs to get people back into work, for it to be able to work.