Businessman Louis Luyt jr is leading a ratepayer charge against his local municipality, arguing that it is failing to deliver basic services.
|||Durban - Prominent North Coast businessman, Louis Luyt jr, is leading a ratepayer charge against his local municipality with a 119-page dossier arguing that it is failing to deliver basic services.
Fed up with what he sees as the failure of the KwaDukuza Municipality in the past four-and-a-half years, the son of late rugby supremo Louis Luyt has sent his file to the Public Protector, saying he had no option but to seek urgent intervention.
The Simbithi Eco Estate resident accused the municipality of, among other things, failing to deliver on transport infrastructure, maintain roads, plan for a legal taxi rank and of “favouring” a local shopping complex owner and developer who allegedly flouted local by-laws.
If successful, the Ballito businessman said this would be a victory for all ratepayers and residents in South Africa.
“Incompetent and inefficient staff need to be kicked out. They must be replaced by people who can deliver,” said Luyt, the chairman of the Dolphin Coast Ratepayers and Resident’s Association (Docrra), which is cited as the second complainant.
Their dossier was delivered to the public protector’s offices in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Luyt and Docrra’s call for intervention by the public protector has the support of 1 750 residents who have signed a petition.
They have challenged the municipality for failing to address the issues of public transport and taxi ranks, the maintenance and repair of roads, the alleged failure by a local shopping centre owner to pay rates, and the building of a town hall in Ballito.
The document was compiled by attorney Jonathan de Wet at a cost of more than R50 000 to Docrra.
However, KwaDukuza mayor, Ricardo Mthembu, has hit back at Luyt, accusing him of being a “white elitist” with “serious political aspirations”.
Mthembu said they refused to be intimidated by him.
“Luyt must accept that this is a new South Africa. We are a democracy - one that he also enjoys. He is complaining about nothing.
He just cannot accept the fact that the black man is in power,” he said.
“He reminds me of his father who wanted to send Mandela back to jail. This man is bearing the same grudge against black people like his father. He will rubbish anything we do - whether right or wrong.”
Luyt responded: “I am not a racist, neither was my dad. He did not have a racist bone in his body.”
He said while his father had had run-ins with Nelson Mandela, it was over issues of principle and not race.
“He is dishonouring my late father’s memory. This is going below the belt and I take it personally.”
Luyt denied he had any political aspirations.
“I am just asking for service delivery. Nothing else. This has nothing to do with me being racist. He (Mthembu) must not create a distraction from the issues at hand - the failure by the municipality to deliver.”
The Dolphin Coast stretches from Ballito to Tinley Manor and includes Shakashead, Shakaskraal, Etete and Nkobongo. It is administered by the KwaDukuza Municipality.
In an affidavit, Luyt said the municipality had failed to provide a formal taxi rank in Ballito and blatantly neglected to regulate or police the local taxi industry.
The formation of an illegal taxi rank in Ballito had resulted in taxi wars being waged on the streets and had endangered the lives of many, he said.
Over the past 15 years, Ballito had been transformed into a residential and commercial hub. A legal taxi industry was imperative, Luyt said, adding that the present “rank” - which has been in operation for five years - had no road markings, pavements, toilets, refuse bins or shelters.
Despite repeated requests by Docrra, the municipality had also allegedly failed to consider the provision of a cheap and convenient bus service in the area.
He said Dolphin Coast residents contributed 70 percent of the total municipal rates to the KwaDukuza Municipality’s coffers; despite this, the municipality had allowed the road infrastructure in the area to fall into a state of disrepair.
“Tarred surfaces have deteriorated to a point of breaking up completely and are pot-holed and dangerous,” he said.
He claimed the municipality had not adopted or carried out a planned maintenance programme since taking over the administration in the Dolphin Coast area.
The provision of pavements and traffic lights in various areas had also been ignored, and the municipality had failed to upgrade and widen the P445 - a road that links the N2 to Ballito - to address the high traffic volumes, he said.
Luyt said tourism was a major contributor to the local economy. “Delaying infrastructure in this area will result in tourists taking their business elsewhere.”
Luyt said that he and Docrra had tried for many years to get the municipality to address their concerns.
“It is clear the municipality office bearers and officials do not take Docrra complaints seriously and pay only lip service to consultation with us.”
He said the municipality was failing miserably to carry out its constitutional, legal and legislative obligations, which warranted an investigation and urgent action by the public protector.
In his affidavit, Luyt said he hoped the investigation would result in the municipality becoming more responsive to ratepayers.
Mthembu said he had no doubt about his council’s ability to deliver on its service delivery mandate.
“We are ahead of our targets. This man is talking nonsense,” he said.
Mthembu said R52 million was being spent to improve road infrastructure in Ballito.
“The P445 is being expanded.”
He said a site for a “legal” taxi rank had been earmarked and construction was expected to start in coming months.
“Luyt wants to portray himself as a martyr... a people’s champion. But to me he is a white elitist and racist,” Mthembu claimed.
Luyt denied Mthembu’s claims.
“I have no hidden agenda. I just want the municipality to act on service delivery. Docrra is an a-political, non-racial, voluntary association. It serves the residents and ratepayers. Anyone is free to join.”
Daily News