In Sunday night’s episode of kykNET ‘s popular program, Kwêla, one of our Theewaterskloof towns, Greyton, was crowned as the eleventh winner of the Kwêla Town of the Year competition.
The name of our Overberg jewel will now be included in the prestigious list of winners. Kareedouw walked away with the honors in 2020 and Swakopmund, Jeffreys Bay, Mossel Bay, Mariental, Graaff-Reinet, De Rust, Sabie, Fouriesburg and Middelburg have also won the Town of the Year title before.
The Kwêla Town of the Year title is awarded to the town that received the most SMS votes in the last voting week of the competition. The other two towns in the top three this year were St. Francis in the Eastern Cape (second) and Upington in the Western Cape (third).
Following the announcement Theewaterskloof Executive Mayor, Alderlady Christelle Vosloo, congratulated Chris Cloete and everyone who is with him tonight to celebrate a truly remarkable achievement. About the achievement she says, ‘My term as the Executive Mayor of Theewaterskloof was marked by some of the most daunting threats that a municipality can face and endure.
Sad things and bad things happened as we dealt with land invasions. We dealt with violent industrial and municipal related protest actions. We dealt with diabolic agendas and the worst critisism one can imagine.
We dealt with poverty and hardship. And yes, we dealt with the COVID-19 PANDEMIC. In between all of this were equally remarkable achievements.
Praise from National and Provincial Treasury. Praise from the Auditor-general and RatingsAfrica. The knowledge that we, despite an insecure income and a constant declining capasity, continued to provide services that complied with National Standards.
What I am saying is that I and the municipal administration dealt with serious matters and that we succeeded because we lived off the energy we got from our successes. For the remainder of this term we will live off the energy of Greyton and the recognition it received, and will continue to receive, as the Kwêla Town of the Year 2021.
Chris and all. Nothing made me prouder than you, who decided Greyton is special and then went on to prove it. You must understand that, with your achievement, you lifted the spirit of not only the residents of Greyton, but everyone in Theewaterskloof.
For that I am truly thankfull. This award will re-energise tourism in Greyton and Theewaterskloof.
Tourism is one of the backbones of the Theewaterskloof economy. That economy will be boosted with this award. You have done a remarkable service to Greyton and Theewaterskloof. For that I thank you.
This, and I say this with ease, is one of the highlights of my term. I thank you for this. I thank you and everyone who worked hard and relentlesly to make this dream come true. I thank my municipal administration for their inputs.
They bought into this dream. The dream became their dream. The outcome of this dream is also their reality. Above all I thank and praise God for answering our prayers and for giving us what we needed when we needed it most.
Finally, all that remains for me to say, is that I will savor this moment in time for the rest of my life. I am about to open a bottle of good old Chardonnay and celebrate our collective achievement. I will drink a toast to you. I will drink a toast to all in Theewaterskloof. I will celebrate Greyton.
You have achieved so much. Tonight you must celebrate it. To you and Greyton, congratulations!’
This is a perfect example of what happens when private sector driven and public sector supported initiatives take off and we work together.
Congratulations once again to Greyton!
Source: Theewaterskloof Municipality