The ruling party in this city has once again treated the residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro with flagrant disrespect.
At 15h46 on 13 March 2013, city councillors received an sms that read as follow: “Dear Cllrs, Public Participation Meetings scheduled for 13 to 20/3/13 is (sic) postponed until further notice. Regards Chief Operating Officer”
Some residents were preparing to attend as early as 17h00, leaving ward councillors scant time to prevent their residents from inconveniencing themselves.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality IDP and Budget Public Participation Programme: Draft By-Laws and 2011/12 Annual Report, has once again been postponed.
Advertising costs have been incurred, another instance of fruitless and wasteful expenditure not to mention confirming once more to all, the disorganized state in which the metro finds itself.
Re-advertising will mean straining the meagre purse of this municipality, once again.
It is mandatory that these public participation meetings are completed by 28 March 2013 – and it begs the question: “How many residents will turn out once more in the next ten days, having been either put off this time, or turned away at empty venues?”.
Leon De Villiers
