Paarlites `fed up'
2007-04-19
"I WAS born in Paarl, I grew up in Paarl and I’m fed up with Paarl!” was the passionate outcry of a member of the audience at the Western Cape Imbizo held in Paarl last week.
The man refered to the increase in crime and drug abuse in Paarl and accused the police of not doing their work.
His concern was reinforced by other speakers, describing the police as lax and unprofessional.
“You go to the police and then they want to make you part of the solution,” said one person, referring to the way the police urge plaintiffs to become involved in neighbourhood watches and sector policing.
The meeting in Paarl was part of a series of iZimbizo, where provincial government meets the people on the theme “Social Mobilisation for Development and Safer Communities”.
Premier Ebrahim Rasool, who had attended an urgent meeting in Pretoria that day, only turned up at 21:45, while MEC for Agriculture in the Western Cape, Cobus Dowry, chaired the meeting in his absence.
This brought about a spate of questions around agricultural matters.
Notable were questions on Kweekvlei, the BEE farm near Wellington that is experiencing serious sustainability problems, as well as the Mbekweni small farmers who are looking for land.
Officials of the different provincial departments answered questions as far as possible, but the Minister gave the assurance that all queries would be followed up and answered in full within three months.
Housing was also a hot potato, especially concerning the Drommedaris informal settlement and the stalled housing scheme Project 2, that has still not come off the ground in Mbekweni after more than a decade.
Councillor Arthob Petersen, responsible for the housing portfolio, spoke on Project 2, explaining the history of delays and assured residents that a solution is near.
Other issues concerned housing for farm workers, a lack of safe houses for children, and unemployment.
At one stage, when Dowry asked people to keep their questions short, he was rebuked by a man saying that the Imbizo was there for the leaders to listen, and so they should.
“I’m here to tell you what is wrong in Drakenstein and you will listen.”
He continued to embroider on the crime situation, saying that the struggle against Apartheid had become a fight against criminality.
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