Mossel Bay Public Eye / Mosselbaai se Waak Oog

20/11/2024

𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬, 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐋𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲

𝐈𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐲 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐈𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.

The situation at Harry Giddey Park highlights critical issues of negligence and accountability, particularly concerning the expiration of the captivity permits in 2022. CapeNature’s statement clarifies that while they oversee inspections and provide guidance, the responsibility for ensuring valid permits, adequate training, and day-to-day animal care lies entirely with the municipality. This raises the question: could this tragic outcome have been avoided if the municipality had properly renewed the permits and facilitated necessary training for officials?

The 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐬 of animal welfare—freedom from hunger, discomfort, pain, fear, and the ability to express normal behavior—were clearly compromised in this case. The expiration of permits not only reflects administrative oversight but also suggests a deeper systemic issue of neglect within the municipality’s operations.

𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

𝟏. 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐬:

Why were the captivity permits allowed to expire in 2022? CapeNature’s role in inspection and training depends on valid permits, yet these were not renewed, blocking essential updates and guidance. This oversight directly impacted the welfare of the animals and led to non-compliance with legal requirements.

𝟐. 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭:

CapeNature states they did not provide training to municipal staff at Harry Giddey Park. If training was contingent on renewed permits, who within the municipality was responsible for ensuring compliance? Identifying the accountable officer is essential, as negligence here had significant consequences.

𝟑. 𝐄𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬:

The SPCA’s findings regarding disease outbreaks and the euthanasia of all tortoises and infected birds are deeply troubling. Could these outcomes have been mitigated if the municipality had followed proper veterinary care protocols and maintained the necessary permits to allow external oversight?

𝟒. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:

As CapeNature outlined, serious cases of non-compliance can lead to arrests or criminal charges. While fines may suffice for minor offenses, the severity of this case—resulting in the euthanasia of multiple animals—warrants stronger accountability measures.

𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭:
The mayor's statement calls for patience while investigations continue. However, the public deserves transparency and assurance that such negligence will not recur. The responsible officials must be identified, and disciplinary action must follow. The lack of accountability damages not only the reputation of the municipality but also public trust in its ability to manage essential services.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. 𝐀 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭—𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

19/11/2024

🌊𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝟓 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬: 𝐀𝐭 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧𝐬?🌊

Mossel Bay celebrates 𝑫𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒌𝒌𝒆, 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒃𝒐𝒔, 𝑲𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒌 𝑹𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓, 𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑮𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒂 receiving Blue Flag status. While this recognition reflects hard work, it’s time to address the 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 behind these accolades and events, costs that are being 𝒔𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒓𝒃𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝑩𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔.

💡 ʟᴇᴛ’ꜱ ᴛᴀʟᴋ ɴᴜᴍʙᴇʀꜱ:
Securing 𝑩𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝑭𝒍𝒂𝒈 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆. The 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 is estimated at 𝑹𝟐𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎–𝑹𝟑𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 annually. For five beaches, that’s an estimated 𝑹𝟏𝟎𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎–𝑹𝟏𝟓𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 of taxpayer money 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒔 - and that doesn’t include the ongoing maintenance and compliance costs required to retain the status.

Add to that the 𝑰𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝑹𝟐 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒇𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝑩𝒂𝒚 𝑻𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒎 for advertising the event. These costs don’t account for the 𝒆𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒍𝒂𝒘 𝒆𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆, which are already stretched thin.

🚨 And now, with 𝑴𝑨𝑻𝑹𝑰𝑬𝑲𝑩𝑨𝑨𝑰 approaching, we see the same story unfold:
- All available 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔, 𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒑𝒔, are being diverted to the event, leaving the rest of the town vulnerable.
- Last year, the event’s organizers donated 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝑹𝟑𝟎,𝟎𝟎𝟎 to the municipality—an insulting amount compared to the 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 incurred by taxpayers to host the event.

💸 When you consider the 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒚 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 for attendees and the revenue generated by the event, the donation seems 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔. 𝑾𝒉𝒐’𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆? 𝑪𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝑩𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒂𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔. 𝑻𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝑮𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒈 to staff Matriekbaai. So instead of boosting local job creation, the municipality’s decisions are allowing outsiders to profit while locals struggle.

Meanwhile, the only ones who seem to gain are:
- A 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 renting out their properties.
- A 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 seeing increased foot traffic.

For the rest of us, it’s 𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒅𝒔, overburdened infrastructure, and an escalating sense of frustration.

🐾 Let’s not forget the 𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝑮𝒊𝒅𝒅𝒆𝒚 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅𝒚, 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚’𝒔 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓—𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔 takes precedence over serving the people who actually live here.

⚖️ 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏: The 𝑴𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍 𝑩𝒂𝒚 𝑴𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 owes its residents answers:
- How much are taxpayers truly paying for these Blue Flag applications, events, and promotions?
- Why is the municipality hosting events that cost millions while receiving laughable donations in return?
- Why are local resources being diverted, local opportunities ignored, and taxpayers kept in the dark about these decisions?

This is not the leadership Mossel Bay deserves. It’s time for 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚, 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒚, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒛𝒆𝒔 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆.

📢 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐲, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬. Let’s hold the municipality accountable for how our money is being spent and ensure that the interests of 𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒂𝒙𝒑𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓𝒔 come first. 👇

15/11/2024

“̲N̲e̲g̲l̲i̲g̲e̲n̲c̲e̲ ̲o̲r̲ ̲j̲u̲s̲t̲ ̲D̲A̲-̲i̲l̲y̲ ̲i̲n̲c̲o̲m̲p̲e̲t̲e̲n̲c̲e̲?̲”̲

The Harry Giddey Park scandal exposes the DA-led municipality's failure to fulfill its most basic duties—and the cost is not just in numbers, but in innocent lives. With the park’s animal permit having expired in 2021, this tragedy of neglect falls squarely on the DA's shoulders. No spin can save them this time—accountability must finally prevail.

The appalling state of Harry Giddey Park revealed by the Garden Route SPCA is beyond devastating. Dead birds rotting in nests. Tortoises suffering from severe illnesses, with decomposing remains found in enclosures. Disease spreading unchecked among emaciated animals. This isn't just negligence—it’s cruelty, and the DA-led municipality must answer for it.

Let’s not forget: this park has been a part of Mossel Bay for decades. How could something so central to our town’s history be left to crumble? DA Mayor Dirk Kotzé’s hollow statement and vague promises of “investigation” are an insult to the animals and to Mossel Bay residents. What’s worse, the DA’s focus on governance optics over genuine action has left our town facing real consequences.

Now is the time for Mossel Bay's *real* animal lovers to rise up. If the DA can't even manage a small park with a rich legacy, how can they handle taxpayer money or make decisions in our best interests? This is not about politics—it’s about humanity and common sense.

To the DA: Stop hiding behind committees, investigations, and empty words. Man up to your failures, admit your negligence, and take decisive action—not just to fix Harry Giddey Park but to restore faith in governance.

To Mossel Bay’s citizens: **It’s time we demand answers—and results.** If the DA can't prioritize the well-being of defenseless animals or the integrity of our community spaces, how can we trust them with anything more?

The residents of Mossel Bay won’t let this cruelty go unanswered. The outcry has only just begun, and rest assured—animal activists and concerned citizens alike will be making their voices heard. It’s time for action, not excuses.

** **

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Garden Route SPCA...

26/10/2024

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸? 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱

Mossel Bay municipality seems once again more interested in turning this town into a tourist destination than addressing the needs of its residents. This time, it’s the animals that are suffering, forced into the background as the focus shifts to superficial improvements. It’s disheartening to see money being spent on “nice-to-haves” while some people live in undesirable conditions right in our own town.

I have some pressing questions:

1. Is the councillor of the ward, the architect of the new buildings, and the chairperson deciding on land use the same person?
2. If so, is this not a conflict of interest?

It’s peculiar that the permit for keeping these animals expired and was never renewed, leading to their removal due to construction. Now, we hear that some of them have been euthanized due to a “disease.” This raises serious concerns: are the SPCA and the municipality equipped to handle the regulations regarding wild animals like tortoises? Perhaps they aren’t meeting the necessary requirements, which would explain the drastic actions taken. Moreover, the handover of these animals was not conducted in the presence of CapeNature, which seems suspiciously convenient.

Did the council even decide on this move? It appears that the SPCA is being strongarmed by the DA of Mossel Bay, which might explain their silence on certain questions.

One last thing: how many years ago was the decision made to construct the Harry Giddey Park? Which council was responsible? What was the council item number? What exactly was decided, and has it been revisited? Why is there construction now when development plans are still in the conceptual phase? This all points to potential negligence on the municipality's part for not addressing expired permits and ensuring the welfare of these animals.

The lack of transparency and accountability in this situation is deeply concerning. The focus should be on the well-being of both the community and the animals, not just on creating an appealing facade for tourists. It’s time to prioritize genuine care over superficial appearances!

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A large number of...

26/10/2024

Welcome to Mossel Bay Public Eye!

We're thrilled to have you join our community dedicated to uncovering the truth behind the curtains of our local council and municipal decisions. This page is here to inform Mossel Bay residents about how your hard-earned taxpayer money is being spent and the impacts of these decisions on our beloved town.

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