Trapper's Valley (G 15)

Name:Trapper's Valley

EASTERN CAPE COMMUNITIES POUR THEIR HEARTS OUT TO GOVERNMENT
People in Makana and Ndlambe municipality areas this week poured their hearts out to the Eastern Cape political leadership about community issues that impact on their livelihoods, leading the realisation of interactive governance through the Outreach Programme.

Makhenkesi Stofile with his entire Executive Council, in its totality for the first time since the acquittal of Health MEC, Dr Bevan Goqwana from fraud charges, met an estimated 10 000 people in various community, stakeholder, public meetings and visits to projects.

In the Ndlambe Municipality coastal area, the executive heard about the depressing effect of the legislation banning vehicles from beaches in the economy of towns like Port Alfred and Bokness. Residents told Premier Makhenkesi Stofile and Economic Affairs, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC, Enoch Godongwana (in separate meetings), that there should be no blanket application of laws that govern access to the use of beaches. "For the Eastern Cape there should be central control in Bisho," they said. Businessmen told Mr Godongwana that since the introduction of the legislation their sales for 4X4s had dwindled and revenue generated from servicing and fuel drastically affected.

The communities moved on to request that amendments be made to the legislation since "indeed there was a need to have control measures for beaches". MEC Godongwana concurred that strict measures were needed for beaches to ensure that the environment was protected to be enjoyed by all of the country's generations, even though he expressed concern about the constitutionality of having different rules governing in one country.

Like the Premier, MEC Godongwana agreed that the community in the Ndlambe coastal area needed to draw up a discussion document on ways to deal with the situation. He instructed the community to make inputs around the issue and set the ball rolling. "Where we need to entertain an argument from is an environment which says ye we have started from the extreme," he said, "In that case we may have to look into some of the proposals that are emerging. But what I want to argue is that we need to agree that we need strict regulations and we may need to look at certain exemptions on those regulations." Perlemoen poaching is among concerns that were raised. It was said banning of vehicles at beaches further compounded the problem as it restrained patrols.

Further inland Ndlambe communities complained about absence of job opportunities, lack of government support for farming projects, availability of water, veterinarian services and poor state of roads. Agriculture and Land Affairs MEC, Max Mamase, had no praises for the majority of black emerging farmers, accusing them of tardiness and waiting for government to do everything for them. He consequently called on them to form partnerships with their white counterparts to ensure that rich agricultural land did not lie fallow. "People should apply their minds to farming to play it by heart. There are people who boast about having voted wanting government to do things for them," he said. "There is no responsible government that can spoon feed people."

On the other hand Education MEC, Stone Sizani heard about the plight of farm-school learners. School governing bodies in Trappers Valley, near Bathurst, told MEC Sizani how poverty influenced attendance in schools. Subsequent to the failure of feeding schemes parents were asked to make food donations, but given their poverty levels, they struggled to assist as well. Other concerns were non-availability of transport for learners, absence of electricity in farm schools, lack of opportunities for learners who passed matric, non-existent medical centres and school libraries.

MEC Sizani said the school-feeding scheme would resume on 22 July this year. He also committed the department to working with the Labour Department ensuring that farmers assisted their workers to sign forms for transport. "A problem with farmers is that they might refuse to assist, because that form requires that they divulge how much they pay their workers," he said. Coming to the issue of assisting learners who want to study beyond matric, he said they should produce good results to get access to the Eastern Cape provincial government bursary fund.

Enquiries: Mncedi Mgwigwi at 083 617 3840/ mgwigwi@yahoo.com

Issued by Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape

28 June 2002


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