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Fin24 user Ike Jakson writes:
LET me make it clear that this is not a political article,
but I must mention something about Bergmun as they are officially called and
their outstanding success story in meeting government audits with a clean slate
that should put them well on the way to win the 2012 RSG Town of the Year
nomination.
The political reference will be brief; we have had six city councillors for and six against more times than I can remember since 2000 and
the lone 13th one seems to get the executive mayor post every time.
It happened again last year but with an
amusing twist in the tail; with two Cope fellows joining hands with the DA the
13th one and also the only OD man Evert Manuel could make himself mayor of the
town and the 12 remaining ones had no choice.
And because it is six against six the mayor is a figurehead;
the municipal manager (an old National Party member and daughter-in-law of an old National Party bigwig) together with the bureaucrats control the town and
do as they please.
According to the recent spate of underspending by municipalities, Bergmuni (that’s what we call them) “Berg, moenie nou dink” (Berg, don’t even think) that you can ignore the taxpayer too.
President Zuma has just signed to increase
salaries in parliament; don’t think, Bergmuni, that you can do the same to put
your municipal manager and the bureaucrat stooges once more two steps above the
poor suffering parliamentarians.
Bergmuni has a new central office block to house all
departments in the same building, with enough expansion for 15 years ahead. Four new directors have already been
appointed, shortly followed by our very own municipal “law enforcement agency”,
all with grand vehicles and suitable air-conditioned offices.
I asked one of the new law enforcement
chappies what they are going to do to earn their keep; after all, we have our
men and women in blue doing a terrific job under great stress. What will municipal law enforcement be able
to do what the Saps can’t do, I asked him?
“Well,” he explained, “for instance, if your neighbour’s dog is howling
at the moon all night law enforcement can come in and restore the peace.” My oh my, I thought, but you have to
understand that all municipal audit results reveal gross underspending habits
by other cities and Bergmun was not going to allow that in their own habitat.
Drive out north on the coastal road from Velddrif/Laaiplek
in the direction of Dwarskersbos; you can’t miss it; on the left as you leave
the city outskirts you will see an entire fynbos landscape containing
beautifully paved roads; all the evidence is there of a fancy NEW CITY FOR THE
RICH WITH A MILE OF PRIVATE BEACHFRONTS; electricity and water connections are
in but that proved too much even for Bergmun.
It is a long story but all it means is that in their desire to spend
Bergmun happily blundered over the fine line between spending for growth and
overspending. Bergmun finally achieved
the inevitable; the muni is technically bankrupt.
The Velddrif/Laaiplek folly is more to Bergmun than District
Six was to Cape Town; at least Bergmuni can still make you smile. Rumour has it that some of the bureaucrats
considered expropriating the land because millions are owed them in outstanding
taxes.
That caused a great deal of mirth when the wannabee rich developers
indicated that they would not oppose such a measure thus leaving the Berg with
property that cannot be sold because nobody wants to buy it, in which case
Bergmun would end up paying taxes to themselves at a time when they are fast
running out of taxpayers already to pay all the one million a year bureaucrats.
And there is a fine bit of mirth; in their efforts to get
the 2012 annual Town of the Year Award Bergmun, otherwise an Afrikaans town as
pure as the old National Party ever was and still is, designed and is
publishing a Website in English where you can vote for the town; they even
suggest you can email them.
Hahaha; it is as funny as that. Email them and ask about Velddrif/Laaiplek;
yes I dare you to do that. Try it and
see what happens.
Hehehe! Pretend you
want to buy the whole shebang and …. Hehehehahaha
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