A structure to make decisions about one of Bathurst’s most valuable assets, the 3000-plus hectare commonage, has been established. And a vision for a vibrant community development centre that serves the entire Bathurst community. These are some of the processes in which the Bathurst Residents and Ratepayers Association (BARRA) has been involved.
‘Process’ is a good word to describe the work documented in the chairperson’s report at BARRA’s AGM at the Bathurst Agricultural Showgrounds last Wednesday. From safety and security to tourism and communication, the focus has been on dialogue, and establishing and maintaining relationships, as a base for improving community life. The organisation’s achievements, as documented in 2024 chairperson Elizabeth Milne’s report, are the result of these engagements. Summarised, these were:
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Improved communication with the municipality. Establishing the BRRA Municipal Services WhatsApp grouped provided a channel for logging service delivery problems.
“Things within the limits of authority of the local team are now attended to immediately,” Milne reported.
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An easy to navigate website (www.brra.org.za) and active Facebook page (BRRAEC).
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Support for and communication with the revitalised Sector 2 community policing forum (CPF).
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Assisting to establish a commonage management committee. “It remains to get the group meeting regularly and making and implkementing decisions supportive of the long term sustainability of this valuable resource.”
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Collaborating with Sunshine Coast Tourism to attract visitors to Bathurst, whose economy relies heavily on them.
Projects under way included an annual Pineapple Festival, scheduled for Friday 21 to Sunday 23 February 2025; and a petition for traffic calming measures on the R67 main road through the village, submitted to Ndlambe Municipality for escalation to the provincial traffic department.
Plans and hopes for 2025 included:
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Improved water, roads and storm water drainage: Milne noted that the integrated development plan (IDP) for 2025/26 was being compiled. Budgeting for the plan would follow. However, Milne’s report noted, “Unless outside funding can be found… no significant development can be found before July 2025.”
As far as roads and stormwater drainage were concerned, it could take around five years to repair the damage caused by decades of neglect.
“The same applies to Bathurst’s water, where we have questions about both the quality of municipal water and the sustainability of the supply,” the report noted.
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A community development centre – an idea that arose from discussions about the burnt out town hall: “This is envisioned as a genuine multi-purpose centre, accommodating community meetings, offices for volunteer services such as legal advice, computer facilities, library… training and …some indoor sports”. To make this vision a reality, a non-profit organisation able to access international donor funding would need to be established that managed and maintained it in collaboration with the municipality.
The 2024 committee was re-elected to serve another term in 2025. Names and portfolios are in the caption to the photograph above.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, November 21, 2024. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.