Another overseas trip for local councillors
2010-05-13
Sieb Sieberhagen
ALTHOUGH the Drakenstein Municipality has not yet finalised arrangements for a fan park for the public to view the Soccer World Cup games, a municipal soccer delegation is travelling to Europe for the fourth time in just over a year. The delegation which travels to the Netherlands on Friday includes Councillor Wilhelm Nothnagel (Deputy Mayor), Councillor Arthob Petersen (2010 Committee chairperson), Dr Sidima Kabanyane (Municipal Manager) and Theo Koopman (2010 Co-ordinator). According to a municipal spokesperson they will go to the Netherlands to visit the headquarters of Oranjecamping, the soccer support group which has already reserved camp sites at Berg River Resort for 800 visitors. The trip will cost at least R150 000, while the mayoral committee recently racked its brains (and the municipal coffers) to find sufficient finance for the soccer fan park planned for Boland Park. Almost R10 million has already been spent on marketing Drakenstein as a World Cup destination and base camp. Cavin Petersen, financial director of Drakenstein Municipality, said that the mayoral committee gave permission for the delegation to go, but could not give the exact amount the trip would cost. He referred Paarl Post to Chris Mapeyi who referred Paarl Post to Michael Mafila of the 2010 committee. When contacted, Mafila asked, “Why now the interest in how much they will spend? I can’t tell you. They discussed it in the Mayoral Committee. You have to wait for the report before you will know how much they will spend.” Cavin Petersen added, “The purpose of the visit is to build relationships with various organisations in relation to the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup. “We also hope to use this opportunity to develop new relationships with key stakeholders in the Netherlands and to encourage more Dutch fans to visit South Africa and in particular the Drakenstein region. “The Drakenstein Municipality will bear all costs relating to this trip to the Netherlands, including airfares, accommodation, travel and subsistence and any other related costs incurred in the execution of their duties.” Approached for comment on the need for the trip, Arthob Petersen said that liaison would take place with different stakeholders in the Netherlands. “Politics is one of the reasons why we have to go. A lot of factors apply.” “If someone is not happy they have to come forward and air their objections,” he added. Theo Koopman said that the visit would include programme co-ordination with De Oranjecamping, a visit to the city Eindhoven and a visit to the Drakensteijn castle in the town of Baarn. “This trip has a lot to do with relationship building,” he added. Councillor Koos le Roux, spokesperson for the DA, said the party had had serious issues with the expenditure of millions of rands for the Drakenstein soccer initiative. “Drakenstein has gained minimally from all this expenditure. There is really no justification for a further visit at such a late stage, only a few weeks before the World Cup Soccer tournament starts. “The delegation should explain why they are undertaking the latest jaunt, while the community struggles to make ends meet in very poor economic circumstances,” he said. Municipal spokesperson May Carolissen pointed out that the Municipality had spent money in the hope of getting a base camp here. “We could not expect the soccer countries to come to us. We had to go to them to present Drakenstein and have talks about a possible base camp. “Obviously it was a risk we had to take. We never gave the impression that we were certain to have a base camp in Drakenstein. “Although the DA is critical, they are the people who were governing the municipality when the idea of a base camp in the Drakenstein area started. They were fully behind the idea at the time.”
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