Thursday: 07 August 2003

This site will be updated on: 14 August  2003 at 17:00

 Letters - Briewe

• Raadslede trap nou klei oor skootrekenaars
• Who should put money in the parking meter?
• Duplikaat-taxipermitte steeds in omloop
• Derby greetings to Weltevrede and Bergrivier
• Editorial: Double whammy for homeowners

DIT is komies om in die pers te lees hoe daar nou water getrap word oor die skootrekenaars wat die munisipaliteit aangekoop het.

  Dit nogal aangekoop op versoek van raadslede wat nou kwansuis niks daarvan weet nie. 

Bestellings vir hierdie skootrekenaars is mondelings en in die geheim reeds op 11 Junie by 'n nie-amptelike vergadering van die Uitvoerende Burgemeesterskomitee (UBK) geplaas. 

Teenwoordig by hierdie heel eerste besluit wat die nuut aangestelde UBK geneem het, was al die komiteelede en een amptenaar, Hertius Carstens, wat die bestelling geneem het.

Die Demokratiese Alliansie (DA) het 'n wenk van 'n lid van die publiek ontvang, en dit is slegs op aandrang van die DA, deur middel van twee briewe op 11 Julie en 23 Julie, dat die Uitvoerende Burgemeesterskomitee (UBK) op 'n vergadering op 24 Julie vra dat die Munisipale Bestuurder 'n verslag oor die aangeleentheid voorlê.

In die briewe vra die DA volledige inligting, maan teen die kondonering van die aankope, asook dat die aankope nie gemagtig word alvorens 'n volledige verslag aan die volle raad voorgelê word nie.

Eina!

Die UBK vra dus nou 'n ondersoek na 'n aangeleentheid wat sy oorsprong het op hul eie nie-amptelike vergadering wat agter geslote deure plaasgevind het.

By vorige geleenthede het die DA reeds gewaarsku teen 'n ondeursigtige proses en dat dit nie die belange van die publiek dien nie.

In hierdie hele aangeleentheid was daar niks op skrif of op band nie.

Die besluit dat skootrekenaars aangekoop moes word, die hoeveelheid, die prysklas, die individuele bestellings, wie sou ontvang, dat die bestelling van R385 000 sal uitgaan op kwotasie en nie tender nie, uit watter begroting, en die opdragte vanaf 11 Junie, het alles mondelings geskied.

Sal enige amptenaar so mal wees om hierdie aankope te doen, veral op hierdie manier, sonder dat die uitvoerende politieke gesag die saak steun of druk nie? 

Om nou die skuld op 'n amptenaar of twee te wil afskuif, sonder dat die uitvoerende politieke gesag mede-verantwoordelikheid vir hul geheime besluite aanvaar, is om die intelligensie van die publiek in Drakenstein te beledig.

Ten minste kon raadslede wat op die UBK dien, en daarop roem dat hulle oor jare se ondervinding in die diens van die publiek beskik, daarop aangedring het dat die aankope op tender uitgaan soos dit hoort (vir aankope bo R120 000), nadat die meriete van die saak in die openbaar bespreek is. 

Hierdie aangeleentheid is eintlik 'n groot skandaal.

Die hele UBK behoort te bedank, want hulle het met die intrapslag getoon dat hulle nie opgewasse is om Drakenstein se prosesse en finansies te bestuur nie.

Deetlefs du Toit   
Raadslid (DA)

I WAS parked in Lady Grey Street in Paarl on 16 July. The parking attendant as usual "helped" me park my car and said he would look after it.

Normally in this case I do not put in money in the meter, because you assume that he does, and then when you come out, you give him the parking fee plus a tip.

This can be very expensive as I discovered. When I came out of the store I had received a parking fine of R100, and the parking attendant was a few meters away, "helping" park another car.

Obviously from now on I will put  money in the meter, the ones that are functioning, anyway.

I would like to know what motorists are legally supposed to do, as I am frustrated, confused and fed up.

We are led to believe that these individuals are doing something purposeful, and now we are being penalised.

What do these "car guards" actually do? By whom are they appointed? Are our cars in real danger when parked in the centre of town, and if so, why?

The same happened to me at Jan Phillips Square, where I also got a fine, while at the same time, the "parking attendant" tried to claim his tip, for having looked after my car.

When I enquired why I had got a fine, he told me, I should have specified how long I would stay away.

What is this "uniform" they wear, who do they report to, and what are their official duties?

Surely there must be some kind of regulation? 

A Wright

After all it is the driver who must pay the fine if payment is not made.

Duplikaat-taxipermitte is steeds in omloop in die Paarl. Die Verkeersdepartement weier volstrek om op te tree teen die persoon wat verantwoordelik is daarvoor in Groenheuwel.

Hierdie persoon betaal nie belasting vir die ander twee minibusse wat onwettig op daardie pad is nie.

Dit  is ook onbillik teenoor ander taxi-eienaars wat verplig word om belasting te betaal.

Ontevrede

Versuim om die boetes te betaal, mag lei tot regstappe en kan die Hof ook gelas dat daar beslag op die voertuie gelê word.

I AM a former teacher at Weltevrede Secondary School in Wellington, now teaching abroad. The time has come for the annual Inter-schools between Weltevrede and Bergriver High School. This, having started as a small scale event has now grown into a major operation which in no small part is made possible by the dedication of teachers, students and specifically the parents.

Allow me to wish the participants of both schools the best of luck during the week and whilst we all strive for success and excellence in the games that will be played, we should at all times maintain a healthy competitive spirit and uphold the values that made the "Derby" between Weltevrede and Bergriver such a special event. I can still remember the joy of winning and the dignity displayed during times when things did not go our way.

To the players and participants of both schools, remember, fate often has a hand in proceedings.

But it is at times like these that you should remind yourselves that it is not in the stars to hold your destiny, but in yourselves and when you face destiny, destiny will end and you will come into your own. From a hot and humid Brunei I look forward to learning about the results on the Paarl Post website.

Shafeek Kamalie

THE strange inability of Drakenstein municipal officials to explain to a concerned Paarlite why his property tax is double what it should be, does not inspire confidence (see page 10).

The decision to retrospectively tax people who have extended their homes or who have constructed new homes during the past municipal financial year, is understandable. 

But surely one must then only levy property tax from the date the new house has been inhabited, or the additions completed.

Of course, to ascertain this date, would take some work. One would, for instance, have to look up the date on which the resident of the new house had his electricity switched on.

Doing this for hundreds of ratepayers would entail considerable effort for our overworked bureaucrats.

But heaven forbid that a cent should be lost from our municipal coffers. So why not just levy a backdated tax for the whole of the last financial year on our law-abiding taxpaying citizens, and see if anybody catches on?

It is hard to believe that our Drakenstein treasury department could be so purposely devious - but what else is one to surmise?

The poor taxpayer in question could get no explanation from the officials who should know, for this "double whammy" taxation inflicted on him since 1 July.

Last week, the mayor of Cape Town had to apologise for the same problem with taxation of new, altered and subdivided properties recently valued in Cape Town, blaming it on "administrative and political transformation".

Or perhaps the deterioration of payments by a considerable number of local ratepayers has simply caused panic among our officials, leading to this drastic (but disastrous) fiscal rescue attempt?