Sol Plaatje Municipality councillors have recommended that only five percent of debts owed by White City residents in Roodepan and Ward 7 and Ward 17 property owners near Thlageng dam in Galeshewe should be deducted from the R5 million claim that will be paid out for damages caused to their homes by flooding and inadequate storm drainage.
SOL PLAATJE Municipality councillors have recommended that only five percent of debts owed by White City residents in Roodepan and Ward 7 and Ward 17 property owners residing near Thlageng dam in Galeshewe should be deducted from the R5 million claim that will be paid out for damages caused to their homes by flooding and inadequate storm drainage.
Residents lost belongings and their furniture was damaged during the floods in White City, while the properties of homeowners living near Tlhageng dam are continually submerged during heavy rains.
It was initially proposed that a maximum of 50 percent of the outstanding debts owed to the municipality be deducted from the settlements paid out.
Sol Plaatje executive mayor Kagisho Sonyoni pointed out that residents had been waiting for three years for compensation, where the value of the claims had since escalated.
“Therefore it would be unfair to deduct 50 percent of their debts. It would be more reasonable to offset the claim by between five and 10 percent.”
ANC ward councillor Johannes Brown added that White City residents had vacated their homes in 2020 and some of the properties had since been vandalised.
“The stormwater drainage problem requires urgent attention. Children in the area have ended up in hospital as they are suffering from asthma.”
ANC chief whip Martin White questioned progress on the payment of the claims.
“We need to seriously look at finalising the claims. Affected residents from White City were relocated to Riverton and Langley pleasure resorts in 2021 and are becoming impatient.”
DA councillor Elize Niemann advised council to ensure that the municipality was allowed to withhold money or make deductions from the claim.
GOOD councillor Elizabeth Johnson stated that the claimants list for White City was incomplete.
DA councillor Chris Whittaker warned that the municipality could not send out a “blank cheque”.
“The municipality cannot leave the door open for anyone to claim indefinitely if it does not have a budget for it.”
EFF councillor Kenneth Kock enquired as to how far the process was to seek legal advice against the insurance company for rejecting the claim.
The municipal manager, Thapelo Matlala, pointed out that the claim would be funded from municipal revenue after the insurance claim was rejected.
“The claims will be made out as once-off payments. It was supposed to have been settled in the previous financial year.
“We have a credit control policy provision to negotiate with claimants who owe us to deduct a recommended 10 percent off that amount. It is not the best way to deal with potential matters as it may bankrupt the municipality. The insurance company was supposed to pay the claim, while residents have been spending taxi fare to travel to and from the municipality and are staging marches.”
Matlala added that a task team had been established three weeks ago to address a “basket of issues” at White City.
“Residents from Ward 7 and Ward 17 who submitted claims on time have to be considered. The process must be fair, we cannot exclude people but we do not want to open a flood gate of claims that we will not be able to sustain.”
