It is with shock that I hear another well known business in the heart of Paarl’s Lady Grey Street is closing its doors after decades of trade here.
It so saddens me to see how badly Paarl’s once-thriving CBD has died, not a silent death but a very loud one, and right under the noses of our so-called city fathers.
Crime is rife here and the “city centre” is now overrun by illegal immigrants openly doing business and probably not paying a cent in taxes.
And the municipality will just, once again, shrug its shoulders and say this is not its responsibility!
I totally disagree with this attitude; a municipality is the entity designated to manage a town.
It has the power to work with law-enforcement agencies such as the police, The SA Revenue Service (Sars) and Department of Home Affairs.
But instead, municipal officials just sit behind their desks and don’t worry, spurning new developments with promise, driving them out of town, and not giving a damn about what is happening right at the heart of Paarl.
