The power of public-private collaboration was on show at the Bushman’s River Mouth Ratepayers Organisation’s (BRRAG’s) annual general meeting on December 27, 2024. In his report, BRRAG chair, Lötter Wepener, described the organisation’s activities over the past year.
Security featured high up in the report, with Wepener reporting that since their annual December security guard project had started, he was not aware of criminal incidents in the village. Wepener said the efforts of citizen volunteers, Night Watch led by Ferenc Toth, had contributed to an exceptionally low crime rate.
“The Nightwatch team works closely with the SAPS and HiTec, both who deliver an outstanding service to our community and to whom we extend our gratitude,” Wepener said.
BRRAG employed assistants throughout the year to deal with various issues including the inspection and service of the security fence surrounding the old Village, and other maintenance jobs. At the time of the AGM, with holiday season in full swing, BRRAG employed people to keep the river beach and ablution facilities clean and user-friendly.
Visitors enjoying Bushmans River Mouth might not know that BRRAG owns its own machinery and equipment and maintains most of the open areas, including the entrance road, the tennis court area, the cemetery, beaches, and several other parks and open spaces. Committee member Robert Schroeder oversees general maintenance as well as the painting of road markings and signs.
Wepener credited BRRAG members Dalien Pachonick and Kevin Bates for their efforts towards improving the appearance of Riversbend.
BRRAG’s lease of the tennis court had been renewed unitl 2032 and Wepener encouraged players enjoying the facility to use the honesty box to pay for their sessions.
The highlight of 2024 had been BRRAG’s lease of the Boesmansriviermond Town Hall, and the organisation’s upgrades and improvements to the facility.
Bushman’s River Mouth was one of many coastal areas affected by storm damage over the past year however, with committee member Jacques de Witt overseeing several projects, most of the repairs had been completed before the start of the holiday season. Wepener singled out Duard Scholtz for his efforts in getting the beach wall rebuilt.
Sue Muirhead was thanked for representing the organisatyion at ward committee meetings. Wepener said BRRAG was also represented in the Ndlambe Ratepayers Forum and liaised with the municipal manager and other officials topromote the organisation’s interests.
Water remained scarce commodity. Willie Enright was thanked for his expert input into the community’s water and sanitation issues.
“We urge all residents to use water sparingly as our plant is the source of water for many areas in Ndlambe,” Wepener said.
Two committee members served on the technical task team that works with Ndlambe and the Department of Water Affairs to secure an improved water supply.
“We are hopeful that the tedious efforts will come to fruition during 2025 and that the water production will be moved from Amatola to another service provider,” Wepener said.
Roads and sanitation required serious attention; however, Wepener said, “Unfortunately, the reality is that the infrastructure has deteriorated over the years and the cost of maintenance and repairs have escalated beyond what the Municipality can afford.”
Explaining the organisation’s hands-on approach, Wepener said, “We are aware that there is a school of thought that many of the matters attended to by BRRAG fall within the domain of the municipality, but as we should now all be aware, we cannot wait for that overburdened institution for full service delivery.
“If we do not act, much of the maintenance will not be attended to at all.
“We do often liaise with municipal officials to secure as much service delivery as we can, but the remainder of the general attention to our Village falls squarely on the shoulders of BRRAG. We do so because we believe that our investments are worthy of protection and the upkeep of the area is therefore of primary concern to us all. We support the view that we need to work together with Ndlambe and other organisations in our area to resolve critical issues.”
Wepener concluded with the fraught issue of the ‘Kenton dune’ east of the Bushman’s River mouth. BRRAG is one of four civic organisations opposing a plan, approved by the Eastern Cape Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs & Tourism and passed in a full council meeting last month, to vegetate Dry Bones Valley and institute a regime for carting sand by truck to Middle Beach.
Calling the idea “unsound, Wepener informed the audience of around 100 permanent and part-time residents that an action group consisting of BRRAG, KOSRA, Chamber of Business and Tourism and Estuary Care was initially at the forefront of this battle.
“It has now been taken over by Estuary Care with the support of the other organisations and local residents of Kenton. It seems that legal action will be unavoidable,” Wepener said.
The meeting concluded with the election of the committee for 2025 (all 2024 committee members were re-elected) and the invitation to BRRAG members to particiopate in projects according to their skills and interests.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, January 9, 2025. 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.
