Photo causes stir at council meeting
2009-07-02
Liezl Dyson
THE Paarl Post caused quite a stir in an otherwise dull municipal council meeting last week. The fact that the DA is taking the Drakenstein Municipality to court for allegedly “misleading” the public about the proposed property rate increase, was not even mentioned. The highlight was a discussion of the file photograph which accompanied the front page article about the court application, featuring former councillor Deetlefs du Toit (now MP) with a raised rifle in his hands. The picture, taken three years ago at a fair, seemed to be the most important matter at hand and evoked a lot of anger. While there was no discussion about the DA’s decision to go to court over the property rate increases, deputy mayor Wilhelm Nothnagel (ANC) proposed that the matter of the photograph should be taken up with parliament. Nothnagel also suggested that the municipality make use of another newspaper for advertisements and public announcements instead of Paarl Post. Mayor Charmaine Manuel also expressed her disapproval of the front page photograph: “It really takes us back, such a photo should be condemned,” Manuel said. She added that she could not, however, support the deputy mayor’s proposal to boycott the Paarl Post. Councillor Koos le Roux, on behalf of the DA, said that the photograph was not appropriate, but that he could not support the decision to take the matter up with parliament. * The DA’s application to the High Court that the rates increases in Drakenstein, which become applicable this week, be overturned due to inadequate communication with the public, has been postponed to September. The Municipality is opposing the application (see advertisement on page 4).
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