[imagesource:wikimediacommons]

Knysna is balancing delicately on a tightrope being held on each end by bad governance and poor funding and is essentially teetering on the brink of collapse.

That’s the shocking revelation in this past Sunday night’s episode of Carte Blanche, showing viewers how a decomposing body found in a water reservoir, rubbish piling up on the streets, and sewage spills into the estuary have all led to Knysna being not so nice, after all.

“Once the jewel of the Garden Route”, and now the small town is in a financial crisis, the investigative journalism show tut-tuts. Watch the teaser for the episode that aired on Sunday 18 February:

The show posted a few snippets on X:

Knysna – once the jewel of the Garden Route – is a town in financial crisis. Audio recordings of the first council meeting of the year, evidence of an ANC-led coalition in chaos. That’s next on #CarteBlanche. @ermbates pic.twitter.com/uVB1MEduyX

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

The water and sanitation situation is dire:

Mountains of rubbish, dry taps, sewage spills. Hardly what you’d expect from one of SA’s most popular holiday destinations. #CarteBlanche @ermbates pic.twitter.com/Ca4y6zLMPI

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

Knysna – known as a top holiday destination – is a town in political freefall. Audio recordings of the first council meeting of the year give a grim insight into just how badly the municipality is being run. That’s #CarteBlanche tonight 7pm on #MNet101. pic.twitter.com/f3mk3fxcPG

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

Not only is the environment suffering, but it is costing the livelihoods of the residents, too:

For many Knysna residents, the free-flowing sewage running into the highly sensitive estuary threatens their livelihood. #CarteBlanche @ermbates pic.twitter.com/KFoQpL4FSA

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

Sadly, it is not the first time the water system has been contaminated by a dead body:

Knysna mayor, Aubrey Tsengwa told @ermbates that all reservoirs and vital municipal infrastructure were properly secured. That’s not what we discovered when we paid the area a visit… #CarteBlanche pic.twitter.com/22qdtm7g24

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

The locals are feeling increasingly disillusioned:

Knysna businessman, John Metelerkamp says the residents’ various complaints regarding service delivery issues have fallen on deaf ears. #CarteBlanche @ermbates pic.twitter.com/xE11PBi8bz

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) February 18, 2024

To watch the full exposé, you can visit the Carte Blanche official site, find the show on Catch Up or stream the show live on DStv Now.

[source:carteblanche]