The Democratic Alliance (DA) is demanding that skilled professionals are roped in to address the critical archiving shortfalls in Gamagara municipality and that residents who incurred losses due to the absence of a proper filing system, are reimbursed.
This comes after the DA unearthed heaps of discarded documentation, including building plans, in the municipal storeroom of the Technical Unit in Kathu, following numerous complaints from frustrated residents. Residents indicated that they had to pay thousands of rands for new building plans because their plans were lost by the municipality, which failed to accept any responsibility thereof.
We previously raised the issue with the Municipal Manager (MM) and then the acting Director for Development and Town Planning. We again raised it during the IDP meeting on 27 October, alerting the committee that we had information that the old plans were in the store. Once again, our pleas for intervention fell on deaf ears.
After instituting our own search, we yesterday uncovered a stash of documents relating to golf estate erven, building plans for mines and approved building plans for housing extensions and new erfs. Documents are marked 2013, 2014 and 2015, and possibly dated back even further.
The DA reported our findings to the MM and the Mayor. The Mayor referred to Gamagara’s intentions to upload documents to the website. For this to work, however, the dysfunctional website of two years, first needs to work.
The DA is concerned about an internal memorandum subsequently received, regarding Gamagara’s intention to appoint four temporary contract personnel to support the municipality’s records management and archiving function. Appointing cadres will not solve this crisis.
The DA will table a motion in council to: ensure that consequence management is enforced against those responsible for this unacceptably poor level of administration; that specialized skills are sourced to assist the municipality in getting its archives in order; and that people who have incurred costs due to the missing municipal paperwork, are fully refunded.
In addition, the DA will report this matter to the South African Human Rights Commission, who recently found the municipality guilty of violating people’s basic human rights. This too is a gross infringement on people’s human rights, for which the municipality must be held accountable.