Statement by Cllr Hattingh Bornman – DA Kouga Mayoral Candidate:
The DA-led Kouga Municipality is laying the groundwork for an eco-industrial hub in Humansdorp that will attract investment, support local businesses, and create much-needed opportunities for residents.
Development planning is already underway. Our ambition is to turn this site into a thriving centre of economic activity, building on the strengths of Kouga’s agricultural, renewable energy, and fishing industries. Progressive projects like this can only continue if DA remains in government in Kouga.
For residents, this project’s success must mean more than new buildings. It must mean businesses opening and expanding, opportunities for local suppliers, and jobs that allow people to provide for their families. Our ambition is to unlock thousands of jobs as investment takes root and these industries grow.
This opportunity rests on the work already done to get Kouga working. A stable DA majority government, sound municipal finances, and investment in basic services have created the conditions for businesses to consider their future here.
Investors need confidence that a municipality can provide services, manage public money responsibly, and process development applications efficiently. When those foundations are in place, businesses can plan, invest, and employ.
We must now match growing investor interest with a municipality ready to facilitate development. That means streamlining town planning processes and strengthening staffing capacity so that applications are dealt with more quickly, transparently, and within the law. Every avoidable delay holds back investment and the opportunities it could bring.
The eco-industrial hub forms part of our vision for a stronger, more sustainable local economy. We want established industries to expand, entrepreneurs to find new markets, and more of the economic benefits to reach Kouga’s communities.
A renewed DA mandate will allow us to carry this work forward, maintaining the services businesses depend on while preparing Kouga for its next phase of growth.
We have worked to fix what is broken. Now let us build what is possible.
On 4 November, vote DA to keep Kouga working.
