Public Works: The R4m silence at our doorstep

THE recent briefing by the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Dean Macpherson, regarding the situation at Knoflokskraal, confirms a bitter truth that the people of Theewaterskloof have felt in their bones for years: the rule of law has not only been broken; it has been sold to the highest bidder while the vulnerable pay the price.

- WELDON WELLS

KNOFLOKSKRAAL. If the government can find R41.1 million to pay private security firms to watch a settlement grow, they can surely find the resources to fix a bridge that connects a community to the economy, says the writer.

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As the Speaker of this municipality, I listen to the cries of our residents daily. The minister's revelation that R41.1 million was spent on private security with “nothing to show for it” is more than just a departmental failure; it is an insult to every resident in Nuweberg, Libanon, and Dennehof who has been told there is “no budget” for basic dignity.

On the one hand, we have Knoflokskraal, where R41.1 million in state funds vanished into a “containment” strategy that failed to contain anything. On the other hand, we have the people of Nuweberg near Grabouw, living on land owned by the very same Department of Public Works.