6th August 2025
Dear Municipal Manager,
The Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents Association (PARRA) wishes to express in the strongest terms its ongoing dissatisfaction with the Ndlambe Municipality’s repeated failure to acknowledge, respond to, or act upon various items of correspondence submitted over recent months.
Despite multiple emails, letters, and documented engagements, your office continues to ignore legitimate queries and objections raised by concerned residents of this town. This pattern of silence and lack of accountability is not only unacceptable but demonstrative of a broader disregard for the principles of transparency, public engagement, and good governance.
We remind you that as a public institution, Ndlambe Municipality has a statutory and ethical duty to communicate meaningfully with the citizens and civic bodies it serves. Your continued failure to respond directly undermines public confidence in the municipality’s leadership and administrative integrity.
The following unresolved issues remain outstanding, with no formal responses, updates, or even acknowledgments:
- SSEG Policy:
PARRA has raised multiple concerns regarding the formulation and implementation of the Small Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) policy, including its technical feasibility, tariff structure, and lack of public consultation. No adequate responses or revisions have been provided despite the direct impact on ratepayers. - Water Quality Testing Results:
We have formally requested the latest water sample results for public consumption in Port Alfred, specifically concerning contamination and safety standards. Despite the public health implications, your office has yet to release or comment on the data. - AMLO Trading Site Violations:
Numerous complaints have been submitted, including photographic evidence of ongoing health and safety violations by AMLO Trading. Yet, your enforcement mechanisms appear either entirely absent or grossly ineffective, raising serious concerns about compliance and municipal oversight. - Objection to Cell Tower Installation:
Residents have submitted a formal objection to the erection of a cell tower in a residential area, citing health, environmental, and zoning concerns. To date, no response or notice of consideration has been received, nor has the Municipality followed due process by informing affected parties of progress or outcome.
We consider this continued inaction a dereliction of duty. The Municipality’s lack of engagement has rendered meaningful public participation impossible and has damaged trust between the administration and the community it is meant to serve.
We hereby demand:
- Written responses to all outstanding correspondence within 10 working days of receipt of this letter.
- An immediate meeting between PARRA representatives and senior municipal officials to address these issues in detail.
- A formal explanation for the continued lack of communication from your office.
Should the Municipality continue to disregard its obligations, PARRA will be forced to escalate these matters to provincial and national government oversight bodies, as well as pursue legal remedies where applicable. We also reserve the right to publicise this failure to engage with the ratepayers of Ndlambe through all available media channels.
A hard copy of this email will be delivered to your office.
We trust that the seriousness of these matters will now receive the urgent attention they deserve.
Sincerely,
Ren Mouton
Chairperson
Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents Association (PARRA)