Talk 25 November 2021

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EDITORIAL
OPINION
Finance
portfolio
a l b a t ro s s
The politics of majoritarian
triumphalism were evident at the
inauguration of the new Ndlambe
council on Tuesday.
Despite the platitudes of service delivery
over politics by new council speaker Andile
Marasi – one of the old guard from the
previous council – the ANC immediately
set about using its majority to take its
preferred executive committee portfolios
and force the DA to take the unwanted
finance portfolio.
The finance portfolio is probably the
most difficult portfolio to handle, because it
requires some maths and accounting skill,
as well as knowledge of municipal financial
management legislation and things the
auditor general will look out for.
It has become a hot potato because
however unfair it might be, the decisions of
the municipality in terms of unpopular rates
hikes and service charges, as well as
irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure,
are projected onto the holder of the council
portfolio and the party he or she represents.
This was discovered the hard way by
former Ward 10 and DA councillor Ray
Schenk and his predecessor Ross Purdon.
One year when the final budget was
being tabled, Purdon stood up to express
the DA’s opposition to the rates increase as
unaffordable to most residents, many of
whom are pensioners.
The ANC caucus shouted and laughed
at Purdon, and former mayor Sipho Tandani
accused him of “g ra n d s t a n d i n g ” at the 11th
hour, reminding Purdon that as finance
portfolio holder, he was party to the
decisions made by the finance committee.
More recently, when the DA presented a
motion to council to scrap the water
availability charge until there was a regular
supply of quality water to residents, Schenk
was accused of actually being party to the
introduction of the water availability
charge, which is patently absurd, as it had
existed long before he became a councillor.
The motion itself was called illegal and
unconstitutional, which is also ridiculous.
However, the DA was reminded once
again that the finance portfolio can be an
albatross around their neck.
However valiantly Schenk may have
fought to keep rates and service charge
increases down, and his achievements in
this area, being holder of the portfolio can
easily be used as a cudgel against you.
Five years ago, when Schenk started his
second term, this writer learnt that his
caucus had appealed to him not to take the
finance portfolio, but he did anyway, at the
request of then mayor Phindile Faxi.
Now that the DA was resolved not to
take the portfolio, they couldn’t escape it.
Readers should bear in mind what has
taken place and who has ultimate
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y.
Jon Houzet
❝ Being holder of the
portfolio can easily
be used as a cudgel
against you.
KEEN CYCLISTS: The members of the Kowie River Mountain Bike Club were in high spirits after competing in the G2C (Makhanda to Sea) race
that was held recently. From left are Joel Greaves, Jason Herrington, Richard Herrington, Hein Claassen, Herman Pienaar, Liana Haman, Carla
Boshoff, Signet Samuel, Karel Smit, Rey Erasmus, Diederick Stopforth, Mark Price, with S hane Price in front
HAVE YOUR SAY Letters to PO Box 2871, Port Alfred — or e-mail to h o u ze t j @ ta l kof t h e tow n .co. za
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Be wary to rely on ‘Do not
tow’ emergency numbers
To all drivers who have a ‘Do Not Tow’ sign
on their vehicle, with an emergency
assistance number, before you contemplate a
trip, take the trouble to phone that number
and see what, if any response, you receive?
We have such a number, and on Friday
morning, on our way to Gqeberha, our car
broke down near the Coega Harbour.
We were lucky enough to be able to get
into the emergency lane, out of the racing,
raging traffic passing along the N2.
One kind gentleman stopped, established
what the fault was and offered to tow us into
PE, but because of the Do Not Tow
instruction, we refused his offer. (We had
had the experience once before of insurers
refusing to pay out because we had asked for
help elsewhere on a freezing, raining night
when our battery died and we could get no
response from the emergency number).
For the next two hours, we phoned that
number, always being told to hold on
because of the “high volume of calls being
experienced”.
We eventually ran out of airtime but
fortunately had family members in PE
(Gqeberha) also trying.
Five hours after our breakdown we were
rescued by an AA tow truck, despatched by
desperate family members.
There is more to the story, but enough
trauma experienced for us to want to warn
others to make sure it doesn’t happen to you!
MERYL HOWES
Thank you to PA community
for donating clothes, linen
On behalf of the Petticoat Lane ladies, I
would like to say a big “thank you” to all the
people in town who regularly donate clothes
and linen to our shop.
This year we have been able to give
financial support to six local charities, in
spite of the Covid lockdown.
We are a small team, who help
raise money by volunteering our time in the
shop.
Really though, it’s due to the kindness of
the Port Alfred community who make this
possible through their donations.
We are thankful for each and every
donation we receive.
SUE SOROCZYNSKI, Petticoat Lane chairlady
TRADING
PA RT N E R S : Port
Alfred High School
Grade 2 pupils,
Igugulethu
Maqubela, left, and
Sivuyise Sigila took a
moment out of their
market day trading
activities to pose for
a photo
Time and
chance
I N S P I R AT I O N A L
INSIGHTS
Pastor Theo Snyman
I“I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not
to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come
to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the
learned; but time and chance happen to them all”
(Ecclesiastes 9:11).
The above Scripture says that good things do not
necessarily come to the “swift, strong, wise, brilliant or
l e a r n e d ,” but time and chance comes to all.
This certainly does not imply that we should not strive
for excellence.
In fact, Christians ought to do the absolute best that
they can, for we are Christ’s ambassadors on earth. The
previous verse says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with all your might.”
Our lives can be negatively influenced in a matter of
seconds due to circumstances beyond our power to
control. Such things as retrenchment, a car accident or illhealth
have impacted the lives of millions of unfortunate
people, no matter their position in society. We cannot
boast of tomorrow, for we do not know what tomorrow
may bring!
The opposite is also true, for many lives have been
positively influenced as a result of time and chance. We
may say that these incidents are “c o - i n c i d e n c e ,” but could
they not be the favour of God upon our lives?
Numerous things affect the quality of our day-to-day
lifestyle, but there is only one thing that will affect our
eternal destination. The Lord Jesus said, “For my Father’s
will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in
him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the
last day” (John 6:40).
The fact that you are reading this now may not be “coincidental”–this
may be your time and chance to receive
the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour!
Quotations from New International Version
Em e rge n cy N u m b e rs
TideGuide courtesy of the South African Navy
Da t e High Lo w Da t e High Lo w
Port Alfred hospital........... (046) 604-4000
Police station..................... (046) 604-2001/2
Mth 00
Multi-Security ................... (046) 624-2508
00
Chubb Security ................. (046) 624-4810
00
Sky Alarms ........................ (046) 624-2806
00
NSRI ................................... 082 - 990 - 5971
Electricity .......................... (046) 624-1111 (a / h )
Gardmed ............................ 0 8 2 -759 - 2 13 4
EMS (Emergency
Medical Services) ........... 10 17 7
Holistic EMS ...................... 063-460-0042
Fire Department................ (046) 624-1111