News from Kosra
The applications to the various authorities for a new service station at the entrance to Kenton-on-Sea continue.
In spite of vociferous objections from numerous interested and affected parties (with regard to the application for environmental approval, there were more than 280 objectors), mysteriously, all the objections have been ignored. Approvals have been granted by the Department of Energy, the Department of Environmental Affairs, Ndlambe Municipality and Sanral.
The environmental approval was originally granted in December 2015, extended for two years in 2017 and has now again been extended for a further two years. Both the 2017 extension and the most recent one were granted without affording any of the more than 280 objectors an opportunity to participate or object.
But wait, there’s more. The Kenton-on-Sea Ratepayers Association (Kosra) learned that the most probably unlawful extension granted in December 2017 had expired in December 2019. In order to make sure of this, we wrote five e-mails to the relevant official, one Dayalan Govender, deputy director: environmental affairs for the Sarah Baartman/Nelson Mandela Bay Region. These e-mails were written between February and the end of June 2020 and they were all ignored.
In the meantime, the same Govender purported to grant a further two years’ extension of the environmental authorisation on July 24 2020 – when it was long dead and expired. Not only did he again ignore the rights of the 280-plus objectors, but, in spite of our five e-mails, and knowing full well of our concern, failed to let us know what he was doing behind the scenes.
Needless to say, Kosra has lodged an appeal against the further extension. We also believe that this type of behavior by a senior government official is unacceptable and we are calling for disciplinary proceedings against him.
If you are not one of the 280-plus registered interested and/or affected parties who originally objected to this fuel station, but have a strong opinion about it, please communicate your views to Kosra at news@kentonratepayers.co.za.
