Knysna under administration: 'This will NOT solve our problems' - Greater Knysna Business Chamber

CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks to Jan van der Westhuizen, chair of the Greater Knysna Business Chamber.

Listen below:

Once a top tourist destination in the Western Cape, Knysna is no longer the sparkling jewel it was.

Service delivery has all but collapsed, leading to local government placing the municipality under administration.

The decision to dissolve the council and appoint an administrator comes after ‘sustained and escalating failures that have harmed residents’ according to Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.

However, Van der Westhuizen believes this was the wrong decision and will only make matters worse.

RELATED: Just how bad are things in Knysna?

He worries that removing the councilors and holding a new election in 90 days will lead to the same individuals coming back.

“That will not solve our problems, it will just delay anything that can happen by 90 days.”

- Jan van der Westhuizen, Greater Knysna Business Chamber chair

Van der Westhuizen says that politicians in Knysna are fighting each other, instead of addressing the actual problems.

Scroll up to the audio player for more.