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No safe water in Little Glen

Local resident Arthur Shephard writes to inform us as follows:

I have had a few people over the past year or so when they see me in the Little Glen asking if it is ‘safe’ for their children to play in the water. My answer has always been NO – whilst the water may look clean a chat with the father of a young son who contracted scarlet fever last summer – has confirmed that opinion. His son was playing a way upstream of the scout huts where the river has a small wall (near the Ingleside exit) and appeared to be clean.

Unfortunately the river is used for washing and as a latrine by the homeless and others, plus it also gets polluted from overflowing sewage drains and contamination in storm water drains occasionally. The picture attached shows polluted water exiting from a storm water outlet directly into the river by the wooden bridge last week, and I have others showing sewage and polluted storm water from higher up the Little Glen from earlier in the year. Rest assured myself and others are in touch with various responsible departments in the city to try and eliminate this unacceptable pollution, but it is unlikely we will be able to stop the odd individual from using the water as their personal latrine at times so best not to let your children play in the water just in case.

A dog poo bin was recently installed in the Little Glen and has a plastic bag dispenser for those who forget to take their own with them. The roll of 60 I put in initially has lasted just over a week – are any of you in the plastic bag manufacturing business and could supply bags? Alternatively anyone who wishes to sponsor the ongoing cost for any period of time please contact me.

This article was published by http://1stcampsbay.co.za/little-glen-river-water-pollution-and-dog-poo-bins-bags/

Unbridled Property Development in Cape Town

From: Chris Soal

Subject: Urban Pornography

Date: 31 March 2016 at 10:16:57 PM SAST

To: Mayor.Mayor@capetown.gov.za

Democratic Alliance Bigwigs

City of Cape Town

Cape Town 8000

1 April 2016

Dear Sirs

No Prejudice

Unbridled Property Development in Cape Town

Recent property developments in Cape Town make it clear to its citizens that the city is run by people who favour rich property developers over the common good. While the substantial rates, taxes and other revenues that they expect to collect from such developments will doubtless help to pay for their impressive salaries, bonuses, pensions, fact finding excursions and other indulgences, it is the average citizen who is penalised. 

Their decisions are no better than those that gave us the Tampon Towers in the city bowl and other freaks of urban planning back in the 1970s.

The city's intrinsically unfair policy of rates based on amateur property valuations is exacerbated by house price inflation, triggered by easy monetary policies in rich nations and opportunistic attacks on our national currency, to the extent that many hard working and honest people are being forced from their homes. In a world dominated by corruption in big business, finance and politics, those who actually create wealth have been marginalised and are seen merely as cash cows to be milked until death.

Perhaps this is why city planners see fit to approve buildings that have no architectural merit and degrade our urban landscape in order to maximise the taxable concrete and glass per square metre of land. Their stupidity is that by doing so they are destroying what makes our city so attractive. A couple of examples suffice. Utterly out of character with its locale, Suleiman's Seraglio on Geneva Drive overlooking Camps Bay is a monstrosity evocative of the ostentatious excess and inequality of the time of Gatsby. It has no place in a developing city such as ours.

While we are resigned to the slab sided mediocrity of much local architecture, the new apartment blocks that sandwich Houghton Steps on Balie Bay, reminiscent of brutish public buildings of a socialist era, leave not a scrap of greenery or setback and totally ignore the rights of helpless and hapless neighbours. Although their architects may not have the talent of a Louis Karol or Stefan Antoni, we had come to expect some aesthetic merit in their buildings.

I fear this is no longer true. Bought by a rugby player from Louis Luyt's glory days, they have changed their profession from architect to prostitute with the help of the pimps in city planning which approved this urban pornography. I wonder how many now have Euro accounts in the tax haven of Ireland where this developer has his “head office”. Indeed his property developments may just be a vehicle to export capital. And why not – if it stays here it will certainly be eroded by our politicians and bureaucrats.

Arbitrary Taxation and Unethical Enforcement

To better understand this ugly situation the table below summarises the revenue models employed by central government, by the city of Cape Town, and by a typical business entity:

Entity	National Government		City of Cape Town		Typical Business
Controller	African National Congress		Democratic Alliance		Market Forces / Shareholders
Revenue / Basis	Income (PAYE)	Progressive	Rates (Property Value)	Arbitrary	Price	Linear
	Goods (VAT)	Linear	Electricity (Tariffs)	Punitive	Volume	Linear / Decrease
	Fuel Levy	Linear	Water (Tariffs)	Punitive	Product Range	Linear / Decrease
	Customs Duty	Linear	Vehicle Registration	Progressive	Quality	Progressive
Personnel Remuneration	+4% to + 6% pa		+7% to +20% pa		-100% to +20% pa
Personnel Head Count	-5% pa		Unchanged		-6% pa
Complaints/Service Requests	SARS Website & Offices		None / Coercive Enforcement		Shareholder & Customer Services

The basis of this revenue is classified as follows:

Arbitrary: revenue has no relationship to but is usually much greater than the value of what is provided

Decrease: revenue per unit decreases as the quantity of what is provided increases

Linear: revenue increases in direct proportion to the quantity of what is provided

Progressive: revenue increases at a progressively greater rate to value or quality

Punitive: revenue significantly exceeds the cost of what is provided (above an arbitrary threshold)

Revenue earned by business and central government is generally in proportion to the goods and services provided to customers and taxpayers, whereas municipal revenues are arbitrary and are driven by factors completely outside the control of ratepayers. Furthermore it is clear that a business that does not properly handle stakeholder requests and complaints will not survive. Our central government provides a fair and effective service to taxpayers via the SARS website and call centres.

But service requests posted on the city website generate automated replies which are almost never followed up and to phone a competent human in its bureaucracy is virtually impossible. In short, Cape Town officials do not respond to requests, objections or complaints about its arbitrary planning decisions and unfair rates and tariffs. Indeed they coerce citizens to accept this situation by cutting off services without notice in the event of dispute. This is an unethical and unconstitutional abuse of power.

So what to do? The upcoming local government elections provide an opportunity for us all to recognise the malevolent role of the DA's friends in big business and of its arbitrary and unfair policies and vote accordingly. Due to extraordinary escalation in rates and tariffs we will be putting, for the first time ever, our staff on short time during the coming winter. We will make quite clear to them the role of the city in our decision.

To make a real difference however we intend to challenge in the realms of politics, media and law the party, the city and the individuals whose decisions so badly prejudice the quality of our lives. Sickened by the city's use of public funds to defend itself against legal challenges by its citizens, we intend to cite as co-respondents, in their personal capacities, these “professional” architects, bureaucrats and politicians as we seek to recover the damages that their flawed and corrupt decisions have so clearly caused. I strongly suggest that you advise them of this liability so that they can budget, like most of your more productive citizens, for the very substantial amounts they will be forced to pay.

We have reason to believe that we will be supported by powerful individuals and institutions which are also fed up with the arrogance and indifference of the DA, its appointees and its benefactors.

Yours sincerely,

Christopher Soal

christophersoal@gmail.com

Painted curbstones in Rottingdean Rd Camps Bay

From: Johan de Beer

Subject: RE: Painted curbstones in Rottingdean Rd Camps Bay

Date: 23 March 2016 at 4:28:22 PM SAST

To: Chris Willemse

Hallo Chris.

The kerbs are part of the road's infrastructure and thus my responsibility.

To save me time  , can you send a photo or two please?

Johan de Beer  Pr. Eng, Pr. CPM

District Engineer :  Maintenance

From: Chris Willemse [mailto:theblinkwater@gmail.com]

Sent: 23 March 2016 04:01 PM

To: Johan de Beer

Subject: Painted curbstones in Rottingdean Rd Camps Bay

Hi Johan

I wonder if you could point me in the right direction?

The owner of # 15 Rottingdean Rd has taken to painting the curbstones in front of his house (and across the road) in a mellow, yellow colour!!

I presume that the City are not in favour of this, so please could you let me have the contact in the City who will deal with this matter.

Cheers

Chris Willemse

cnwillemse@gmail.com

+27 83 653 6363

by MATTHEW HIRSCH

The City is inviting tenders for the purchase and lease of portions of three City-owned erven in the Clifton and Camps Bay area.

The Atlantic Sun has reported on the council’s plans for the land which residents across the city have been concerned about (“Tussle over beach jewel”, Atlantic Sun, August 20 2015).

At a public meeting that took place in Camps Bay last year, there were fears about what impact any development would have on the area, which included Maiden’s Cove.

Former Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs, a Clifton resident, added to the debate by saying Maiden’s Cove should be considered a heritage site because of what it means to so many people (“Albie Sachs concerned about development”, Atlantic Sun, September 17 2015).

Chris Willemse, chairperson of the Camps Bay Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association, said they were not surprised by the announcement of the tender invitation.

“The City is taking public land from the people of Cape Town. Why can’t they do the environmental and impact assessments themselves?”

He said they were willing to take the City of Cape Town to court on the matter.

“We’ve seen what has happened with the Wynberg and the Camps Bay Bowling Club winning against the City in court due to a lack of engagement. They have shown even less regard in this case,” he said.

“They only said they were increasing the size of the public land because they are afraid of losing votes.

“They haven’t shown anyone the plans.”

He also said that the public participation process had been a sham and described it as a tick-boxing exercise.

Jared Rossouw, co-director of the NGO Ndifuna Ukwazi, whose Reclaim the City campaign focuses on lower-income housing near the city centre, said the City of Cape Town owns very limited but well located public land.

“In the midst of a massive and mounting housing crisis, the City has an obligation to use its land stock to provide affordable well-located housing.

“The City needs to provide a reasonable explanation as to why some affordable housing cannot be built on the Clifton site itself. They have not done so yet. Thousands of workers travel in to Clifton and the surrounding area every day to clean homes, staff restaurants, and maintain the area’s pristine amenities.”

He added that this was costly, time-consuming and unjust in an area where a great many “homes” are vacant for much of the year.

On the public participation process, Mr Rossouw said: “The City has entered in rounds of public participation which is commendable. What we have not seen is a full record published of all written and oral submissions which have influenced the final tender specifications. When it comes to public land, everything should be public.”

Ian Neilson, deputy mayor of Cape Town, said the tender was built on a large-scale public infrastructure investment drive.

It is expected to see an obligatory investment by the private sector in return for the development opportunities on offer of an estimated R190 million for the upgrade of existing public spaces and facilities in the area.

“As a response to the public request for social housing and improved community integration, 10% of the financial offer of the sale/lease proceeds by the successful tenderer will be earmarked for future City-developed, near inner-city social housing projects – the sites of which would be determined in the future.

“It is foreseen that approximately R55 million will be invested in expanding our beloved Maiden’s Cove picnic area to develop this under-utilised public asset between Clifton and Camps Bay in a manner that is similar to the City’s popular Green Point Urban Park.”

Mr Neilson, added: “Our envisaged ‘Maiden’s Cove Urban Park’ will be transformed to about three times its current size to an inclusive, environmentally protected, safe and accessible place for all Capetonians.”

The statement said an estimated R30 million will be required for a proposed safe and well-lit boardwalk between Clifton Beach, Maiden’s Cove, Glen Beach and Camps Bay Beach, which will be an extension to the pedestrian network on the Atlantic seaboard.

The design also requires the successful tenderer to undertake an upgrade and renewal of transport and non-motorised transport infrastructure along Victoria Road at a cost of an estimated R25.5 million, while requiring an estimated R23 million for the establishment of the Bantry Point Caves boardwalk to enhance public access in this rocky area.

The development is also set to include a boutique hotel or apartment site (3 500m² of bulk); a commercial component of 5 000m² of bulk (restaurants and retail), and a mixed-use component (offices/studios/apartments) of 2 250m² and a parking facility consisting of approximately 700 bays, including for residents in the area and members of the public.

“Upon completion of the competitive bid process, further public participation will be undertaken as a Heritage Impact Assessment, land use and rezoning application and an Environmental Impact Assessment will be triggered.

“This tender is a great example of how we are trying to leverage City-owned assets to unlock investment and economic opportunities, while at the same time requiring the private sector to help us to invest in public infrastructure which we cannot otherwise afford due to the many pressing needs of our communities across the city,” said Mr Neilson.

UR7s Event on the Beach

From: Mat Turner

Subject: Event on the Beach

Date: 11 March 2016 at 9:49:01 AM SAST

To: campsbayratepayers@gmail.com

Hi Guys

Our company are looking to start a beach touch tournament on camps bay beach, we are trying to promote a health fitness lifestyle and would like to bring people from different areas of work together, to connect and potential promote business opportunities.

We have the buy in from a nutrition company as well as a well know beach front restaurant at the moment.

Who would we speak to about getting the council's permission to run the event on the beach? 

Kindest Regards

-- 

Mathew Turner 

Director

Ultimate Rugby Sevens SA

Cell (+27) 722362347

Email: Mat.Turner@ur7s.com

http://www.ur7s.com/academy

Instagram: @UR7S_SA

Cell towers/masts in Camps Bay

Begin forwarded message:

From: David Mendes 

Subject: Cell towers/masts in Camps Bay

Date: 06 March 2016 at 3:41:37 PM SAST

To: "campsbayratepayers@gmail.com"

Hello

Do you know the location of the cell masts/towers in Camps Bay?

I found some brief info stating: Marine Heights, Camps Bay High School and the Rontree Service Station. Are these the only sites you are aware of? Also, minutes from 2012 indicated the sites might change. Have they?

Any help appreciated.

David