Funding Inequality, Missed Opportunities, and Silent Projects
With acknowledgment to Saldanhabaai Nuus – August 2025 Edition
By George C. April
Founder: West Coast Sports Solutions NPC
HOPEFIELD :- Recent revelations in Saldanhabaai Nuus have stirred growing concerns across Hopefield and surrounding areas.
Claudine Cleophas Fredericks of OSW (Organisasie Sonder Winsbejag) publicly questioned why select individuals receive lucrative benefit deals—like a reported 5% of Umoya Energy’s profits—while local NPOs serving the poor, unemployed, and youth are repeatedly ignored.
As founder of West Coast Sports Solutions, I support her statement without hesitation.
5% for One, 0% for the Many
It is now public knowledge that Johanna Stoffels, a former mayor of Saldanha Bay and current board member of Umoya, receives 5% of company profits annually. Yet, countless organisations that work daily in these communities, including my own, are denied even 2% support.
When I reached out to sponsors and businesses to help build a safe swimming pool for Hopefield’s children, the idea was casually dismissed or ignored.
I never asked Umoya, because I already knew what the answer would be.
In 2022, during a ceremony in the local church hall where I was present as a photographer, Stoffels remarked:
“A swimming pool is a luxury and doesn’t benefit the community.”
A comment clearly aimed at undermining my efforts.
This, despite the fact that children still swim in a filthy salt river, risking infection or worse.
That same year, Umoya hosted a public meeting in Hopefield, informing residents that R14 million had been budgeted for community development.
A Comment That Spoke for Many
Hopefield local,Denver Adams, summed it up best in response to the Saldanhabaai Nuus story:
“Ons mense sukkel. Besighede het publisiteit nodig om te groei. Enorme werksgeleenthede kan geskep word… Ek hoop net die toekomstige ‘Sonplaas Projek’ kry ’n regverdige community liason. Mense sit met goeie kwalifikasies en ervaring, maar hulle ken nie die regte mense nie. Net my 5c.”
His words reflect a painful reality: qualified locals are being passed over, not due to lack of skill, but because they’re not part of the “inner circle.”
The Disappearing Snail Farm and Hidden Millions
Let us not forget the much-publicised R3 million “Slakkeplaas” (Snail Farm) project once promised to Hopefield. That project has since vanished without a trace, like so many others.
Meanwhile, reliable sources confirm that Umoya’s trust account now exceeds R20 million.
The question remains: who will truly benefit from these funds?
And What About Housing?
While residents wait on government to deliver housing, private companies like Umoya and Kropz continue to profit from the land—without visibly investing in the real needs of the people who live here.
Hopefield doesn’t just need charity. It needs long-term, sustainable development:
📌 Jobs
📌 Training
📌 Sport infrastructure
📌 Decent housing
📌 Dignity
The Community Must Unite
This is no longer just about funding. It’s about justice, inclusion, and accountability. The same few benefit, while others are told to wait, or remain silent.
If you ask hard questions, you’re ignored.
If you challenge the system, your projects are quietly dismissed.
But silence has never built a future.
Let us stand together, support the voices who speak up, and demand real transformation—with all of Hopefield’s people included.
_For background, see the original article in Saldanhabaai Nuus, August 2025 Edition – available in print and select digital platforms.
#Hopefield #CommunityVoices #TransparencyNow #CCN #UmoyaAccountability
