"With the growth of development in the Pretoria East, as well as developments such as Mooikloof in Kungwini Municipality, it has become imperative for Council to look at the possibility of widening Garsfontein Road.  This report is long overdue", with these words Councillor Pieter de Necker expressed the support of the ACDP for the widening of Garsfontein road.

The report which seeks approval for a study to be conducted into the possibility of widening the road was unanimously accepted by Council.  Part of the road is still under the jurisdiction of the Gauteng Department and the report further seeks the approval to possibly get funding from the Province or to re-allocate the road to the Tshwane Metro.

De Necker also played a vital role in the application and finally the construction of the traffic lights along Garsfontein road.  Traffic lights were erected on the corner of Garsfontein and Loristo in Pretorius Park, the entrance to Woodhill and the Pretoria East Hospital as well as on the corner of De Villabois Mareuil and Garsfontein Roads.
 

ACDP member on the City Planning Committee, Councillor Pieter de Necker welcomed the new Spatial Development Framework for Pretoria West.

De Necker said that this framework will give new hope for development in the West.  Speaking at the Council meeting he said that the Council should do more to draw developments to areas such as Atteridgeville, Lotus Gardens, Danville etc.

"An example of a development that will boost the economy and also the morale of the area would be a proper regional shopping centre such as the Menlyn or Brooklyn centres", de Necker said.

The report was unanimously passed by Council.
 

A report that served before Council seeking the approval for the establishment of four new townships in Soshanguve was successfully amended by Council after an amendment tabled by the ACDP was unanimously accepted.

ACDP spokesman on City Planning, Councillor Pieter de Necker expressed his dissatisfaction with the proposal to name the new developments in the same manner as what developments in former black townships were named in the apartheids years.

De Necker said that the time has come for Council to move away from the "Block system" which was used to name extensions and developments in areas such as Soshanguve.

"It is easy for the ANC government to want to re-name places, but when they have the opportunity to give a name to a new township or a new street, they do not do it", de Necker said.

After the ACDP tabled a motion, the Council agreed that the naming of the new townships should be referred to the Public Place and Street Name Committee.
  

Although the ACDP has welcomed the Municipality'ss HIV/AIDS Strategy, the Party has indicated that this policy lacks two very important issues.

Speaking at the Council Meeting on Thursday, Councillor Pieter de Necker said that the policy should focus more on the promotion of abstinence rather than the current focus of condomising.

He further said that  the role Churches and Faith based organizations should play in fighting with government against this disease is not mentioned in the strategy.  "Many churches are prepared to assist with counseling and taking care of patients, yet government is not creating a platform for them to do so", he said.

The two other Christian Democratic Parties in Council, the UCDP and CDP supported Councillor de Necker on the issue.
 

"Many of the so called previously disadvantaged people can now be classified as the elite. They are the people often benefiting from the system, while the presently disadvantaged people are discriminated against".

These were the words of Councillor Richard Dinkelmann when addressing Council on a report which seeks to create a bursary program assisting the previously disadvantaged.

Dinkelmann argued that many people qualifying as being previously disadvantaged, but have since become part of a system where only a few elite benefit from.  One can think of examples of senior ANC politicians who were previously disadvantaged, but who now enjoy the privileges the masses can only dream about.  It is often their children benefiting from these bursary schemes.