Ward delimitation proposals for 2011 Elections

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=30 BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width="100%" style=" border-left: 1px solid #3366CC;" BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B>Tulbagh Info Information</B></div> <div> Ward delimitation proposals for 2011 Elections</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="120" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER BGCOLOR=#0099CC HEIGHT= 15 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="local_news.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tulbagh News Page 2"><U>Back to Local News</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> 27 September, 2009</div> <bR> <div> The Municipal Manager</div> <div> Witzenberg Municipality</div> <div> P O Box 44</div> <div> Ceres</div> <div> 6835</div> <bR> <div> Dear Sir,</div> <bR> <div> <B>Proposed Delimitation of Ward Boundaries during 2009/10 for the 2001 Local Elections</B></div> <bR> <div> I write this letter in my private capacity as an affected and interested party to the proposals by the Demarcation Board.</div> <bR> <div> I have considered the proposed Ward delimitation proposals as it affects the public living in the Witzenberg area, Gouda and Breedevalley areas.</div> <bR> <div> Clearly, little thought has been applied to the setting of boundaries topographically, historically, or practically. Rather, the Demarcation Board has played the numbers game in respect of voters only?</div> <bR> <div> The first example of ludicrous demarcation is the excising of a portion of Ward 11 (as it was in 2006) and joining the excised portion with Ward 10. There is a massive mountain range separating the two areas (the Winterhoek) and there is no road link between the two areas. To get by road from the one part of the Ward to the other will take about one hour's drive. How such a Ward is supposed to be managed, defies all logic.</div> <bR> <div> The public residing in a Municipality must have easy access to the Municipality and distances between the outlying areas should be considered. The Municipality responsible should have an obligation to ensure adequate and representative governance for the public in turn. As it is - if one takes Tulbagh as an example, the public have to do a round trip to Ceres of about 55kms and the public from Op die berg and further afield, have to travel double if not four times the distance to the central Municipal offices.</div> <bR> <div> A similar case is for the communities of Gouda and Saron. Those unfortunate people have to travel all the way to Paarl to do Municipal business. Historically, the community of Gouda has been aligned in proximity to Tulbagh rather than Paarl. Similarly, the community of Saron has also been aligned in proximity to both Tulbagh and Porterville.</div> <bR> <div> This delimitation process should be above political manipulation and rather be dealt with practically.</div> <bR> <div> Ward Councillors are notorious for not managing their Wards properly currently and having Wards spread over great distances does not facilitate the process at all. In addition, one must consider the fact that people are inclined to `look after their own first'. Thus splitting towns like Tulbagh and Wolseley for instance, does not bode well for effective management and creates problems regarding representation by the public through THEIR representatives on Council.</div> <bR> <div> Political Parties should also be more realistic and practical with their selections in respect of Proportional and District Councillors. It never fails to amaze me how Councillors are selected not on the basis of practical considerations but rather only on Party choice. Often a Councillor may be designated to represent a community on Council and he or she does not even live there. Councilors travel all over the countryside at great expense to meetings as a result of this and as a result of Parties not being realistic and practical about selecting candidates from the communities they will serve.</div> <bR> <div> I have undertaken some rough alterations to the Ward map files whilst considering all the above factors and in an attempt to practical and most certainly non-political. I cannot contemplate doing accurate boundary alignments due to the fact that I do not have the details of votes residing in the some of the areas. I will leave the number counting to the powers that be?</div> <bR> <div> The following map depicts my suggestions regarding Saron, Gouda (currently Ward 30 and 31 of Drakenstein) and Ward 11 of Witzenberg. You will notice that I am suggesting that the Bulk of Ward 31 and a portion of Ward 30 Drakenstein should go to Berg River Municipality for all the reasons that I have set above.  I am suggesting also that Ward 2 of Witzenberg be scrapped in its current form and position (see additional map for further clarity) and a new ward 2 be created out of a portion of Ward 30 Drakenstein and a portion of Ward 7 and 11 of Witzenberg and incorporated into Witzenberg.  </div> <bR> <div> I have suggested further that Ward 11 be adjusted to take cognizance of physical barriers as well as the community of Tulbagh. Hence, I have moved the boundary of Ward 11 southwards to almost the centre of the Tulbagh / Wolseley valley.</div> <bR> <div> In respect of the proposed incorporation of a portion of Ward 11 into Ward 10 (over the mountains), I believe that this requires no further motivation as it was a nonsensical idea in the first place. In respect of the furthermost areas of the Witzenberg, perhaps that Ward should be incorporated into the Cederberg Municipality for practical and logistical reasons but I do not have the time to go further with my proposals than this exercise.</div> <bR> <div> Map 1</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="b5e200f0.gif" border=0 width="800" height="527" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> In the following map, I have suggested that Ward 7 of Witzenberg be adjusted by incorporating a portion of the current Ward 2 Witzenberg and a portion of Ward 7 to be incorporated into Ward 3 of Witzenberg (to get the numbers of voters right - more or less and to ensure that the community of Wolseley is properly represented on Council by one Ward Councillor - as I am similarly attempting to do on the previous map 1 in respect of the community of Tulbagh) and the northern boundary moved southwards (see map 1 above). I have suggested further that the remainder of the current Ward 2 be incorporated into Ward 20 of Breedvalley Municipality for practical and logistical reasons. Again, I have not been able to accurately ascertain the numbers of voters affected,</div> <bR> <div> Map 2</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="b632cd00.png" border=0 width="812" height="720" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> From my perspective, I believe that the above suggestions will make all the affected communities more representative of their people - both town and countryside and would make for better and more effective governance.</div> <bR> <div> I copy this letter to the Municipal Demarcation Board and the Municipal Managers of the Municipalities affected by my proposal (Drakenstein, Berg River, Breede Valley and Cederberg, with the hope that common sense and consideration for the communities affected prevails above Party interests and Politics. </div> <bR> <div> Yours faithfully,</div> <bR> <bR> <div> John Veschini</div> <div> Tulbagh</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=28 style=" border-top: 1px solid #0066CC; border-left: 1px solid #0066CC;border-right: 1px solid #0066CC; border-bottom: 1px solid #0066CC;" BGCOLOR="#0066CC" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>