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Outrageous water accounts issued by the municipality have prompted the DA to invite the Municipal Manager of Ga-Segonyana, plus other directors, to a community meeting on Wednesday.

On 22 July 2022, municipal officials took water readings in Kuruman for the first time since the start of the Covid pandemic. In other words, since around March of 2020, residents have been receiving interim readings, made up purely of estimates calculated by the municipality.

Some residents have now received frightful accounts for as high as R245 000, and if they refuse to pay, they are being threatened with electricity cuts.

Tariff increases are also not in line with what was approved in council approved. Last year, electricity for the 2022/23 financial year was also assessed and handed over to the Municipal Manager but nothing came of it.

Understandably, residents are angry, with some even considering taking the Municipal Manager to court, for excess monies paid.

In addition to the absurd accounts, the DA will also discuss the poor state of Kuruman. The town is particularly marred by poor road surfaces, sewerage spills in the Billy Duvenage Reserve, illegal or extensive building on small erven, trees entangled in electrical line, as well as illegal hawkers and crime.

Each of the issues that are making life in Kuruman unbearable need attention.

While the DA has yet to receive response from the MM, we will not let this deter us. With or without him, we will come up with a plan of action to get each of Ga-Segonyana’s failures addressed.

Issued by Braam van der Westhuizen, Cllr - Ga-Segonyana municipality