THE lack of an operational pound in Somerset East has been an uphill battle for residents for the past few years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe value of a pound is immeasurable, especially for those whose lives are at risk,\u201d said Fiona Brown, DA councillor at the Blue Crane Route Municipality (BCRM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cResidents are fed up with the damage caused by roaming livestock to gardens and vehicles, and the threat to the safety of motorists,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2013\/2014 a budget of R850 000 was allocated for the establishment of a pound. This matter was \u2018re-evaluated\u2019 (IDP Review 2014\/2015) with the outcome that the budget was slashed to R575 900 in the adjusted budget of the 2015\/2016 financial year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite stating that the \u201cpound will be established in the next financial year,\u201d (IDP, 2018:43) the budget was cut further to R150 000 in that same year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Actual spending on the project has been R246 568 over the three financial years and there is still no sign of an operational pound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roaming animals found nearby are put into the camp where the unfinished building is situated, but that is all that is being done at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brown said that her efforts began before she became a councillor, when she wrote a letter on behalf of the farming community petitioning for a pound and later in 2017 for a pound and for roadway fences to be attended to in order to ensure animals were kept off the roads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once a councillor, she submitted a motion to the BCRM council in November 2016 requesting that the budget be reallocated so that the pound be prioritised and that in the interim a temporary pound be constructed to be a repository for stray animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In June 2019, she wrote to the acting municipal manager, asking for facts and figures pertaining to vehicle accidents with cattle over the past year to be presented to council. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brown feels strongly that answers to these questions will assist her in taking further steps in an effort to get this matter finally solved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
She plans to take this issue to Bhisho through the constituency leader, Vicky Knoetze, who is a member of the provincial legislature. Knoetze is in a position to request that provincial government instruct the BCRM to prioritise the pound, as well as administration of the by-laws as they pertain to managing stray animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the meantime petition forms will be doing the rounds in town and Brown implores every disgruntled resident to make a concerted effort to add a signature. The petition can be signed at the DA office on the corner of Rawson and Njoli Street from Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 12:00. The petition will be submitted to the petitions committee in Bhisho, who will hopefully take note of the plight of the residents of the BCRM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Mid-Karoo Express<\/i> spoke to Mandisi Planga in November 2018, he urged the community to report any stray animals to Denzyl Rooy at the Traffic Department on 042 243 6400.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE lack of an operational pound in Somerset East has been an uphill battle for residents for the past few 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