A Zwelethemba family has been left with their hands in their hair after the municipality made a mistake 25 years ago.
“It all began when municipal officials carelessly swapped plots of land belonging to neighbours,” related Nomonde Kondile, a resident of one of the affected plots. “This horrendous blunder went unnoticed until 1998, when construction began on the wrongfully allocated plot. It wasn’t until 1999 that the affected parties were even made aware of the administrative disaster.”
By then the damage was done and the struggle for justice began.
According to Kondile no move from the local municipality to rectify this mistake has been forthcoming, nor from the provincial government.
“Even the intervention of higher authorities, including the municipal manager, David McThomas, as well as minister of local government Anton Bredell proved fruitless,” she said. “Despite pleas, shouts, tears and countless letters, the municipality has failed to uphold its duty to rectify its mistake. Even the provincial office proved to have failed to help us resolve this matter.”
The ripple effect of this seemingly small error has major effects, especially regarding municipal bills.
“The latest injustice came again in 2021, when my family’s electricity was blocked due to the neighbour’s debt as a result of the swapped plots. Despite reaching out to municipal representatives and the municipal manager, my cry for help fell on deaf ears. Today, as we face the same problem that should have been resolved a quarter of a century ago, it’s abundantly clear the municipality sees no urgency in righting their wrongs.”
Meanwhile, instruction was given not to cut the electricity or water. Kondile feels as if her family’s and her rights have been disregarded.
“My family has endured 25 years of hardship, stress and uncertainty, all because of a mistake that should have been swiftly rectified. Our lives have been thrown into turmoil, our rights trampled on. It’s time for accountability. It’s time for the municipality to acknowledge their failure, apologize for the immense suffering they’ve caused, and take immediate action to right this egregious wrong.
Standard Breederivier Gazette reached out to the Breede Valley Municipality regarding this matter.
“The formal process, at an advanced stage, requires that the registration of the exchange take place in the Deeds Office,” said Chad Malgas, a spokesperson for Breede Valley Municipality. “The client has been duly informed of the status and way forward.”
