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Even a vegetarian wouldn’t love the pigs that are ripping up the gardens of Knysna. I don’t think of sizzling pork chops or bacon and eggs when i see those destructive piggies. I think of Lauren Waring, the Municipal Manager of Knysna.
Lauren Waring’s character is like grass after a pig’s snout has dug through it; slippery and muddily ugly. No matter how she ignores or lies to the Knysna public, she’s still going to walk home with her 6-figure salary package every month. Residents associations are scared of her. Businesses are frustrated by her. I have come to despise this woman because she despises Knysna with her actions.
She’s lied about millions of rands regards roadworks. She lied about the ISDF tender objection date. Surely she lied when in 2011 she told the Sedgefield Ratepayers and Voters Association that she did not know about impending salary increases for our local politicians (because she’s the Chief Accountant and those ‘loveable’ councillors from the ANC, DA and COPE got their salary increases soon after). She lies by omission such as only giving 2 lines in the Municipality’s massive annual report to the state of Knysna Tourism which committed tender ‘irregularities’, failed to fulfill their community development mandate and, now, 10 months later, still don’t have a CEO after the last ensured a financial disaster worth millions. More recently, she blatantly lied to a local organization by saying that Knysna Municipality was in communication with me (when in fact they’ve blacklisted me so that i’ve been forced to turn to the Public Protector to get information that she’s suppose to make freely available to the public).
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Lauren Waring’s latest lie involving animals on the loose may seem small in the context of all her others but it’s important not to accept our leader’s bad habits because of the horrible fact that lying, disinformation and obstruction has become the routine of the Knysna Municipality. I’m also well aware that i was once in a car that ramped a cow lying in the road which made me far luckier than my uncle who hit one dead-on on the N3 which resulted in his bonnet reversing and chopping through most of his neck. If anyone gets hurt, they should sue Lauren Waring.
Besides safety concerns for busy Grey Street and the N2, everyone has the right to be proud of their garden or our sidewalks which is impossible when pigs are ripping it up. Up in Concordia and Khayalethu, where the animal problem is more severe, it’s almost impossible to find a pretty garden because it’s pointless for residents to attempt their creation .
There’s also the uncomfortable matter of racism when Knysna Municipality and the SAPS treat black areas differently to white areas. The law is suppose to apply to all. I’ve no doubt that a cow on the loose in Belvidere would be promptly dealt with but that an area such as Dam-se-Bos would never be treated as democratically. Conversely, imagine if Lauren Waring and the DA listened to ratepayers and residents associations (from white areas) as well as she does to black taxi associations (forgive me but apartheid is still very much alive in our pretend democracy, as understandable as our president and his R200 million home).
She responded to complaints about roaming animals by placing an advert in a local newspaper and saying that you should call 044 302 6551 for help. That’s the number for the traffic department. Recently, i phoned them on 3 separate days. The first time they wouldn’t help. The second time i was told there was nobody to help. The third time, 2 officers turned up and shooed the 7 pigs from one garden into the adjacent empty property. I asked, “How does that help,” to which one agreed resignedly with, “They’ll be back tomorrow.” That “what can we do” and “this is Africa” attitude is unacceptable.
This is not a momentary problem. I lived in this area before so i can testify to the pigs and an unhelpful Knysna Municipality co-existing for more than 4 years.
It’s ridiculous that i have to protest through blogs like this. A good leader would simply engage in dialogue followed by action. No matter my opinion of Lauren Waring, my door remains open to her because we can’t sort problems if our attitudes block the interaction that is needed to protect and improve Knysna. Her door so far, unfortunately, has being as open as pigs with wings.
PS: You can vote on the quality of Lauren Waring’s respect for the Knysna public at www.knysnakeep.org/polls-cast-your-vote.
PS2: If you have any complaints about your area, you can contact Lauren Waring through 044 302 6590, 082 444 4636 and lwaring@knysna.gov.za.