GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Executive Mayor of the Garden Route District Municipality, Councillor Memory Booysen recently donated 850 potable water containers to Zoar to alleviate the effect of the drought in the area.
At the event Western Cape MEC for Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Minister Anton Bredell announced plans the department has for the community of Kannaland.
Bredell said: “We plan to drill two boreholes (R3.4 million) and plan to rehabilitate the wastewater treatment plant that will amount to R195 000”.
The Zoar wastewater treatment works (R745 000) and also the Calitzdorp wastewater treatment works (R1.5 million) are also on the priority list.
The residents of Zoar in Kannaland will now be able to store their potable water in proper containers, after Mayor Booysen handed over the 850 x 20 litre water containers to Kannaland on Friday, 15 March at the Library Hall in Ladismith.
Investment
“It is important that we prioritise job creation as part of these projects,” Bredell said.
“The only solution to address poverty is job creation. With the resealing of the road between Calitzdorp and Oudtshoorn, as well as the building of a new clinic, jobs will be created. These projects amount to R 38 million.” The delegation visited farms in the area to assess the current situation and the effect of the drought.
Western Cape Minister of Agriculture Beverly Shafer, officials from GRDM and Kannaland Municipality, as well as farm owners and community members of the area attended the ceremony.
Gerhard Otto, manager of Disaster Management at the Garden Route District Municipality sketched the dire situation of the dams in Kannaland.
A local farm owner raised concerns on how the drought resulted in job losses and affected food security. Willem Burger from the Western Cape Department of Agriculture summarised the department's support programmes and projects rolled out in the Kannaland area in recent years.
Water Service Authority
Mayor Booysen specifically highlighted the negotiations for a district-wide developmental project which the GRDM is embarking on.
He said the project will generate approximately R100 million for the Garden Route district. Although it will mostly affect the coastal areas, he said: “As soon as we receive the accreditation as a water service authority, we will change the focus of the negotiations to address the needs of the Kannaland community, especially the drought and food security, among others.”
Mayor Booysen added: “We will need your skills and knowledge to assist us in leading the negotiations into a direction required to address these challenges.”
Aletta Theron, the Speaker of the Kannaland Council, directed the handover programme and thanked the delegation and representatives for attending the ceremony.
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