“If you find a single page that is the same as a previous one, I will eat the IDP,” was the promise of Ndlambe Municipality’s new integrated development plan (IDP) manager as she responded to questions from Seafield/ Kleinemonde residents. This IDP consultation held a week ago and chaired by Ward 6 councillor Edward Walker could be the copybook for this year’s round of citizen engagement. Ward 3’s Bushman’s River Mouth scuppered session could rate as among the least successful.
A year ago, despite having an unwieldy 680-page integrated development plan (IDP) Ndlambe Municipality had neither strategies nor people for managing its water services, road maintenance and other crucial aspects of service delivery.
This year, a completely revised plan that is a manageable 283 pages, speaks to each ward individually and provides the tools to navigate it, saw residents in the Kleinemonde community hall engage concisely and constructively.
With its typical thoroughness, the Kleinemonde Ratepayers and Residents Association (KRRA) had analysed the 2025/26 draft IDP and Budget, noting the items specific to the village and surrounds. When chairperson Gene Pancoust addressed the municipal delegation, it was in the form of a carefully compiled set of comments and recommendations.
Among them was the concern that in the context of the area’s needs and existing infrastructure, allocating R15 million to upgrade the water treatment plant should be reconsidered. The organisation put forward alternatives that they believe would be more suitable.
The residents also asked that the IDP consultations with residents be done before the document was drafted, so their input could be meaningfully incorporated. IDP Manager Rene Uren acknowledged that their engagement at this point in the process was effectively only to comment. These comments would be taken into account in the drafting of the following year’s IDP revision.
The four development priorities cross all the wards in Ndlambe Municipality for 2025/26 are (in order of importance) maintenance of infrastructure, water and sanitation, roads and stormwater management.
Storm at Bushmans
The meeting at Ward 3’s Boesmansriviermond Town Hall was exactly the opposite. The local residents and ratepayers organisation, BRRAG, almost always attracts a full house at its public meetings, and Tuesday April 15 was no exception. Ward 3 councillor Zandile Myali was present, along with IDP manager Rene Uren; however, the meeting didn’t happen. In a statement provided afterwards to Talk of the Town, BRRAG’s chairperson Lotter Wepener wrote:
“An IDP public meeting was scheduled to take place for Ward 3 Boesmansriviermond on Tuesday 15 April 2025. IDP meetings, in the past, provided a valuable forum where ratepayers could interact with Ndlambe officials and politicians on matters of importance for our community. Ndlambe also used the opportunity to share their vision and information with ratepayers.
“Ratepayers are becoming increasingly under pressure with soaring and unaffordable rates collected from them but still to be on the receiving end of insufficient and poor service delivery. An increasing number of ratepayers cannot afford the growing cost burden placed on them by the local authority, as was the case in the past financial year.”
Wepener said ratepayers of Boesmansriviermond were not represented on political platforms, “leaving a huge gap for proper representation and consultation”.
The organisation said ward councillor Zandile Myali had never reached out to that community and had never taken the ratepayers of Boesmansriviermond seriously.
“This was also evident when the scheduled IDP meeting was adjourned due to the councillor’s inability to address the meeting,” Wepener wrote. “There is a serious shortcoming in the political system followed in municipalities which result in unsatisfactory service delivery on a national scale. Radical change is required to avert confrontation.”
According to Wepener, the councillor had claimed that he did not have the [right] equipment when he had been required to speak and interact with representatives of the ratepayers and residents of Ward 3, Chamber of Business and Tourism, and Estuary Care.
“It was apparent that he was unprepared to deal with an IDP and the many issues that we wished to discuss,” Wepener continued. “The community was well represented, and residents were ready to raise issues and discuss them, provide input and get answers. But the conduct of the councillor caused the meeting to be adjourned.”
Wepener said BRRAG maintained a strong working relationship with Ndlambe officials to counter the inefficient political system of representation to promote the interests of ratepayers of Boesmansriviermond and Riversbend.
“BRRAG, Estuary Care and Chamber of Business and Tourism made a huge effort to make submissions into the IDP,” Wepener said. “Attendees were disappointed about the cancellation of the important meeting due to the conduct of Mr Zet Myali and felt that they were treated with disrespect. We have no option but to get rid of inefficient councillors. We have contacted the Minister (COGTA) to set the wheels in motion. Councillors with a record of inefficiency must be barred from standing for public office.”
Talk of the Town contacted Councillor Myali and asked for his version of what had happened at the meeting; however, Myali declined to speak to this reporter, saying, “Just write what they want to say – I am busy right now.”
TOTT then approached the municipality’s political head, Mayor Khululwa Ncamiso.
She expressed great concern at the failed meeting and said she had requested the IDP manager to reconvene the Bushmans River Mouth meeting.
“I will personally attend that meeting,” Ncamiso said. “I will offer my apologies to those residents on behalf of the council, and undertake to engage with them and take up their concerns.”
Regarding any possible consequences for officials following the meeting’s failure, Ncamiso said, “I will report the incident to the Speaker who will initiate any disciplinary process if that is required.”
Talk of the Town understands that the process of reconvening the IDP consultation meeting for Bushman’s River Mouth has been initiated.
TOTT attended scheduled meetings in Ekuphumleni (Ward 4), Marselle (Ward 3) and Titi Jonas Multipurpose Centre (Ward 6). These meetings were called off due to poor or no attendance. The last of the scheduled IDP meetings was for Ward 10, yesterday afternoon at 5pm, in the Port Alfred Civic Centre.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, May 1, 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.
