Ward 54 Newsletter - Cllr Nicola Jowell

 

Dear Residents What a week it has been from raging fires to the deluge of water across the city. Believed to be twice the monthly average rainfall for June coming down in just a space of 30 hours.  The Urban Mobility Department (previously transport) has been undertaking their winter readiness progress since February jetting and clearing 100km of the storm water network. But its clear that we need to do more and dramatically increase this amount every year.  This newsletter is a bit late this month and I do apologize. It feels as if I just press send on the newsletter and then in a blink of an eye the month has raced by and its time for the next one.  I wish to extend a big thank you to everyone from all the community organisations who donate so much of their time and energy for the benefit of the entire community. But this month I would like to single out Jane, from the Mouille Point Ratepayers and Steve, from Green Point Ratepayers Associations. With the events most certainly back up and running we are receiving a vast amount of event applications each week, which have to be assessed and comment provided to try to limit the impact on the surrounding community. And when things go wrong they are immediately in touch with the city to raise these issues. The Rugby last Saturday for example caused traffic chaos, far worse then any the week before and only an additional 5 000 in the crowd. With 8 000 participants driving into the Waterfront to park! Plans were immediately put in place to extend the MyCiti offering for this week and open the fan walk. More detail in the newsletter on this but the traffic services were very aware that additional measures needed to be put into place and the planning commenced on Monday.  So wishing the Stormers all the best as they take on the Bulls, a rugby game but also a representation of the opening up of the city, the increase in events and the huge latent need from Cape Townians to get on with living lives! A reminder though that there are many who are in need this winter and if you have warm clothes and blankets to donate this is in dire need. Men's clothing is particularly in short supply. Donations can be dropped at the Sea Point Library (10:00 - 17:00) or at the Sea Point CID office (24/7). Take care Nicola   Mayor's Townhall meeting On Monday, 6 June 2022, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis addressed residents from across Sub-Council 16 during a townhall meeting. Thank you to all the residents who came out to hear directly from the Mayor about his vision for the City, as well as how we are working hard to tackle the many challenges we face, including load-shedding, safety and security, housing, damage to infrastructure and homelessness. You can watch the townhall address here.  Thank you to Sea Point Law Enforcement who start each early morning shift with patrols along the Sea Point Promenade. By-law enforcement and general visibility.  A reminder to please make use of the emergency numbers should you witness any by-law infringements or criminal activity. You can call 107 (from a landline) or 021 480 7700 (from your cellphone).  If you are a victim of crime I appeal to you to please take the time to open a case with the South African Police. You can do this at the station or they can come to your home or chosen location to do so. SAPS will deploy their resources according to the report crime and its essential that any patterns are visible by the case reporting.  STREET CHILDREN: Thank you to the Provincial Social Services, City of Cape Town Social Development, Law Enforcement, SAPS, Camps Bay CSI and private security for the early morning operation to assist children off the streets. After weeks and weeks of meetings, follow up e-mails and so on an integrated operation was finally conducted, focused mainly on street children. Thirteen children and eight adults have been assisted off the streets and into care. In our follow-up and debriefing meeting last week it was reported that all the children and the adults who were assisted are still off the streets and in their respective places of care.  An extensive planning meeting was held to plan the next operation for Sea Point which is more challenging as unlike Camps Bay all the children are unaccompanied minors. Information on the specifics of each child has been collated, placement arrangements are being made and the operation will be held shortly.

The city's field workers from social development' street peoples unit joined me on the Promenade to engage with some of the homeless people there. These engagements are ongoing through the area on a daily basis. Through our engagements three people agreed to the offers of assistance to go to a place of shelter. A week later another two people from this location were assisted off the streets. These interventions are ongoing on a daily basis.  Thank you to the field workers as well as Fiona and Peter from the street peoples intervention unit who are working on a daily basis to assist people off the streets. They do so with the utmost dedication and hard work. Trying to be many places all in one go. Thank you to the City field workers who have been out in Mouille Point doing a flyer drop. Reminding residents to please not give ad hoc donations out on the streets. To rather channel support to the many NGOs doing great work to assist the homeless to alternatives off the streets. UNITED RUGBY FINAL - 18th June: Arrive early, use free MyCiTi and Fan Walk to avoid congestion!   Cape Town is hosting the final of the United Rugby Championship between the Stormers and the Bulls at the DHL Stadium on Saturday. About 31 000 spectators are expected.    The City of Cape Town is availing a free MyCiTi shuttle service for ticket holders to travel to the DHL Stadium. Buses will depart from the Civic Centre and Thibault Square stations from 15:30 on Saturday. The last return bus will leave the Stadium station at 23:00. Free on-street parking is available within the city center from 13:00 on Saturdays. Park in the city center and get a bus shuttle to the stadium. You can get with the gees on the day and make use of the Fan Walk, which will be activated from around 13:00 before the stadium gates open at 16:30.   Residents and motorists are advised of temporary road closures in the DHL Stadium and V&A Waterfront precincts.   Phenomenal turn out at the community clean up in Maidens Cove. Wonderful to have over 70 volunteers join together along with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cllr Ian McMahon - Ward 115 and me. Thank you to Chris Von Ulmenstein for organizing these clean ups every month and to everyone for joining. Lovely to have so many families, resident, learners from St Cyprians and Camps Bay Schools, Ignisive stewards, Camps Bay Ratepayers and Camps Bay CPF. Thank you to the 41 Restaurant (Victoria road) for always sponsoring coffees and a voucher for the person who collects the most! Be sure to like the CAMPS BAY CLEAN Facebook page so you know when the next community clean up will be!  #LetsKeepCapeTownCleanTogether Last month the Social Development Forum for the Sub-Council restarted! The forum started initially as an Atlantic Seaboard Forum and has grown to cover Sub-Council 16 and all the wards. The forum brings together the NGOs and community groups working on projects to reduce the number of homeless on the streets. The forum is about information and strategy sharing, best practices, opportunities and challenges, blockages and partnerships. Jesse gave a presentation on the PEP project which is a massive job creation employing almost 600 people in the CBD, Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl. This is funded from the city via a grant from treasury and has been incredibly positive. DPV Outreach spoke to us about the history of how a community has driven local projects with great results. A good discussion with all the role players. A number of issues identified that we will take forward to support projects and to push for the continuation of the PEP funding. The clean up intervention team from the sub- council has been hard at work tackling the problematic areas. This is just one location that they have been targeting in the Ward. This team is in addition to the cleansing teams from solid waste who attend to the roads and pavements. And also in addition to the parks team. As posted a few weeks go the city are doing regular operations with the sub- council team who are working though the problematic areas which is grueling work!! Well done to the team at Ignisive Camps Bay and the many community and extended partners who work in partnership to assist a group of previously homeless people. Part of the process is coming off the streets, and into employment as community stewards. And this is supplemented with life skills and employment tools workshops. The sessions have been held at the Clifton Scout Hall. Well done to the Ignisive Team for an holistic approach to assisting the homeless off the streets and empowering them individually and collectively for long term sustainable successes.  Fantastic work! Call 2 Care  In partnership with Pam Golding Cape Town & Cape Town Rentals, Call 2 Care decided to live up to its name and host the very first Spekboom for Climate Change Urban Greening Project. The event took place on International Day of Biological Diversity (22nd May 2022) to plant a beautiful community garden in Bantry Bay, to help combat the CO² emissions created by the traffic coming to our stunning beaches. There was music, a food truck and smoothie bar to keep the gees up! A lovely initiative to help green the rockery adjacent to the queen circle on beach road. All plants etc was provided with the ticket. Your “own” family mini plot! More events are in the pipeline! Thank you to the community for coming out to support the first one and hope to see you at the next ones.    Project Hope in Sea Point have also been ensuring that their Community Care Ambassadors are not only living off the streets as part of the program but are being upskilled too. They are partnered with the Colin Eglin Sea Point Library to offer computer access and skills to the members on the program. The members of the program can be seen out doing litter picking and sweeping the streets. Part of this is also reporting and logging any issues in the area via the city's C3 reporting system so we can ensure that all issues are being dealt with.  PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS ON THE PROPOSAL!! *The request is made by the developers and the city is compelled to put this out to public participation. Please ensure your comments are recorded as this is of considerable impact* The reason for the proposed temporary road closure is to accommodate the construction activities related to a private construction development on Erf 216 and Erf 259, Sea Point at 19 and 22 Kei Apple Road. Kei Apple Road would close temporarily for a period of five months, from 1 August 2022 - 31 December 2022 (or until construction is completed). Traffic will be detoured via Quendon Road, Kings Road and Church Road during this time. https://www.capetown.gov.za/.../temporary-closure-of-kei... In terms of Section 17 of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act, Act 32 of 2000, you can submit comments to the municipality in respect of the proposed road closure. Comment via e-mail to transport.news@capetown.gov.za or online https://www.capetown.gov.za/.../temporary-closure-of-kei... A Give Dignity Campaign to start the morning! Thank you to the volunteers from Camps Bay, Alan and Theresa from Ignisive, Chris from the Rate Payers and the city field workers. A chilly start but a warm reception from drivers, walkers and the early cold water swimmers! Rather then given out flyers, which we are all reluctant to take these days we had large posters. Lets support NGOs, shelters and the people at the safe space with your donations rather than ad hoc on the streets.