The Democratic Alliance has called on the Municipal Manager of Dawid Kruiper Municipality, Mr Elias Ntoba, to urgently demolish and remove an illegal structure, believed to have been erected by the ANC on a former netball court at a dilapidated sportsground in Louisvale, Upington.
Upington already has far too few sporting and recreational facilities for young people. What little community infrastructure remains should be restored, protected and expanded, not unlawfully taken over for political purposes, and what appears to be meetings.
The DA, in addition to a concerned community member, previously reported the matter to the municipal authorities. Our complaints fell on deaf ears.
Dawid Kruipers’ failure to act raises serious questions about whether municipal by-laws are being applied consistently and fairly to all residents and organisations. This is especially concerning in a municipality with a growing track record of allegations of cadre deployment and cadre protection against it.
The DA has personally requested Mr Ntoba to ensure that action is taken and by-laws are enforced. The ANC cannot claim to put communities first while allowing scarce public infrastructure intended for children and residents to be abused for political purposes.
The DA will continue to hold Dawid Kruiper Municipality accountable, defend the interests of the Louisvale community, and fight for our children to be given back their netball court.