CBCRA Newsletter July 2022

NEWSLETTER JULY 2022 The CBCRA welcomes you to its Newsletter, which intends to inform the community of all matters of interest and concern. Since Covid-19 hit us, many new issues have arisen whilst the old ones remain with us. The draconian regulations of the Disaster Management Act have been repealed, which is a tremendous relief in both our social and business lives – especially the Theatre on the Bay, restaurants and accommodation establishments. However, please remain aware that the virus is still with us and be cautious! The socio-economic effect of Covid-19 is most alarming. This has resulted in so many more people being driven to the streets as a means of existence. There has also been a rise in crime and whereas the two issues are often conflated, it is important to distinguish actual causal links and, most importantly, establish the means for dealing with both effectively. The CBCRA, with the Community Policing Forum (CPF), deals with the homeless issue as an objective. The Community Security Initiative (CBCSI) and the Community Policing Forum (CPF) take civic responsibility for crime and security in Camps Bay and Clifton – in support of SAPS. Please go to this link on our blog for important information on current crime trends and reporting. We remain committed to working in unison with all civic bodies to achieve the best results for our area. The format of this Newsletter is to provide brief overviews of the work being done by the CBCRA, which will have a link to its webpage for greater detail for those who seek more information on particular issues. We trust that this Newsletter is of value to its readers and encourage all residents to join the CBCRA, for the benefit of the community. ENVIRONMENT Marine Outfall Plant Are you aware that the City of Cape Town discharges millions of litres of raw sewerage into the bay of Camps Bay every day? The CBCRA has long been fighting to have this situation changed – and now the action group OUTA (remember the Gauteng toll road rip-off that OUTA successfully undid?) has joined the battle. Read how OUTA is helping Cape Town fight for clean coastal and inland water. Community Beach Clean CBCRA’s Manco member for Environment, Chris von Ulmenstein, has been galvanising the community to take responsibility for the picking up of litter in the area, especially on the beachfront. CBCRA is also looking into projects that will deal with the prevention of littering. We were delighted that our hands-on Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, joined the community for an exceptionally well-attended litter clean at Maiden’s Cove on Saturday the 14th of May. We filled 145 bags with litter. The next clean-up will take place on Saturday 30 July at 11h00 – 12h00 (weather permitting) Our thanks to the City of Cape Town’s Cleansing Department for its excellent and speedy response to collecting and cleaning up litter hotspots in our suburb. Read more about it. SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Probably one of the most pressing issues currently facing our suburb is the increase of homeless people living on the streets. The enormous task of systematically assisting these people into sustainable work and shelter is being undertaken by CBCRA’s Theresa Massaglia and Alan Marsh (chair of the CPF) under the banner of the Ignisive organisation. One of the thrusts of this initiative is the project to ensure responsible giving, in line with the City’s GIVE DIGNITY. It is very clear that the random handouts to people begging on the street only serve to prolong their predicament. Ward 54 Councillor, Nicola Jowell, and the City’s Reintegration Team, led by Fiona Bosch, participated in a recent GIVE DIGNITY campaign in Camps Bay, with placards displayed at traffic lights on Victoria Road. Some more projects and collaborations to note can be read on the blog. GIVE DIGNITY is an initiative run by the City of Cape Town to raise awareness around the plight of people living on the street. The initiative emphasises that instead of a cash handout, which often increases the risk of prolonged homelessness, we encourage you to make a donation. Find the details on their website. PROPERTY PLANNING The CBCRA continues to fight the onslaught of over-bulked development in the area. Sadly, the City appears to be captured by the development industry and routinely approves inappropriate developments. Financial constraints prevent us from tackling all but the most offensive developments, with all recent legal action being successful. Probably the most well-reported current case is the development at 22 Sedgemoor Rd, where the construction of a 4-unit block of flats was recently stopped by an interdict out of the Western Cape High Court. In terms of court process, the City must provide us with the full case record of the approval (which we believe contains useful information for our full review case) but, the City claims not to have the file! We are approaching the Mayor in this regard. A summary of recent applications, objections and actions is available on the blog. Anyone with any experience in property planning matters and who is keen to help in preserving our suburb must please contact the CBCRA at campsbayratepayers@gmail.com. CLIFTON SPECIAL RATING AREA (SRA) or CITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (CID) The efforts by Clifton ratepayers to establish a Special Rating Area (SRA) are well advanced and currently at the stage of demarcating the specific area. Sufficient positive votes have been obtained to go ahead with the project. The CBCRA fully supports this initiative and intends, with other civic organisations in the area, to pursue a similar path for Camps Bay. You can follow this project’s development on their website. THEATRE ON THE BAY A face-lift to the area between the theatre and the beachfront was commissioned by Pieter Toerien of the Theatre on the Bay. CBCRA’s Manco member for Heritage & Planning, Johan van Papendorp (the architect of the Green Point Urban Park), was commissioned to redesign the area. This involved the relocation of the electrical substation and the creation of a piazza connecting the theatre to the beachfront and the war memorial. Further good news is that the City has allocated funds in the 2023 budget to fully restore the memorial. Anyone with historical photos or data relating to the memorial should please share them with the CBCRA on campsbayratepayers@gmail.com. The old electrical substation has been demolished and a new one constructed on the upgraded park next to the police station. A new piazza serves this area, which will link to the war memorial. The Theatre management is relieved that the 50% occupancy regulation has been repealed, given the severe constraints during the pandemic restrictions. Make sure to catch this winter season’s excellent shows: UNCLE MARC with Mark Lottering (28 June - 9 July) ROMANZA, a Spanish-inspired guitar and dance programme (12 - 24 July) SHIRLEY VALENTINE (3 - 13 August) BECOME A VALUED MEMBER We express our gratitude to all those members currently serving on the CBCRA Manco. These are hard-working and selfless individuals who freely give of their time to protect the uniqueness of our beautiful village and suburb. As always, new members are welcome and there is a great need for members to join in on the variety of tasks to tackle. If you are keen to join us and become a valued member of your community, please email the chairman, Chris Willemse, at campsbayratepayers@gmail.com. NEWS LINKS We use our social media platforms to share valuable information with the community. Please follow us on our Instagram profiles and like our Facebook page in order to stay up to date on our latest posts. Councillor Nicola Jowell’s Newsletter – June 2022 CBCSI’s Newsletter – June 2022 SFB – Seapoint | Fresnaye | Bantry Bay Newsletter – June 2022 The Bungalows Owners Association News SUBSCRIBERS You may be receiving this newsletter for the first time as a member of the Camps Bay & Clifton Ratepayers Association. We continue to update and refine our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe please click on the unsubscribe link below this page and you will immediately be removed from the list. Your details are stored securely and will not be shared with any other person or organisation. If you know of anyone who would like to subscribe, they can send us an email with their request at campsbayratepayers@gmail.com. We welcome any feedback on this newsletter. Email your comments to campsbayratepayers@gmail.com. Copyright (C) 2022 Camps Bay & Clifton Ratepayers Newsletter. All rights reserved.

CCT message from Mayor Hill-Lewis

Dear Capetonians,

Thank you for the patience shown by many of you as we work to get through this period of nation-crippling loadshedding together.

I wanted to offer a few reflections and updates here on the events of the past week, and what needs to happen going forward.

Firstly, before I set out what we in Cape Town are doing to mitigate the crisis, let us not forget what is really happening here: a small group of illegally striking workers are putting their own personal interests ahead of the entire country; and literally taking the nation to brink. Their actions are wreaking havoc on the economy, destroying jobs and businesses, making communities more dangerous, causing great hardship for residents, and impacting on our ability to deliver basic services.

All the while, our President is yet to speak publicly to the country about the crisis. I call on him to address the nation on what he is doing to resolve the strike and to stabilise South Africa’s energy supply.

In Cape Town, we are doing all we can to protect residents from the full impact of loadshedding. We are using our Steenbras Hydro Electric System to near maximum capacity, but we do need to keep some in reserve in the event that (and we pray this doesn’t happen) loadshedding gets even worse.

And, even this system has its limits. If Stage 6 is in place for most of the week again, the lower reservoir will fill up, and there won’t be enough time to pump water up fast enough to drain the reservoir and keep the turbines producing. Put simply, water runs down the hill much faster than it can be pumped back up.

Importantly, the severity of this loadshedding also means our infrastructure is taking a real beating.

Heavy machinery - such as water pumps, sewage pump stations, electricity transformers and substations - is just not made to take this kind of abuse. The constant on-again-off-again is causing dozens of localised trips. Our teams are out in full force dealing with these local faults, and most can be resolved quickly. Some take longer.

As our City teams crisscross the city to try to help, I understand that residents do suffer great inconvenience and are often frustrated. Please know that we have got all our teams on standby to assist at any time of day or night.

We have deployed more than 100 extra traffic officers and 100 extra law enforcement and metro police officers, to help manage the traffic consequences and to be a visible safety presence in communities. We will also activate our Disaster Operations Centre for as long as Stage 6 persists, and continue to prepare for any possible escalation.

Finally, all of this underscores just how necessary and urgent our drive to reduce our reliance on Eskom and end loadshedding in Cape Town was and is. While this a journey, we are on it and pushing it ambitiously. We simply must do more to protect our residents from the dire failure to provide even the most basic services at a national level - be it energy, policing, public transport, bulk water, you name it.

We have to make sure that this is the last straw, by pushing as fast as we can to devolve the generation of electricity and other critical services from a national government that is clearly collapsing.

As we brace for another difficult week in South Africa, I’m optimistic because I know we’re doing more for ourselves. And that’s the way of the future.

Best,

Geordin

National Marine Month 1 - 31 October 2022

 

1 to 31 October 2022

National Marine Month creates awareness of South Africa's marine and coastal environments and the benefits that our oceans bring to our nation.

South Africa is nestled between two currents:

• the warm Agulhas Current with rich ocean biodiversity, but not a large fish stocks
• the cold Benguela system that supports large fisheries such as those focused on the small pelagic (anchovy and sardine) and the demersal (hake) stocks.

These currents, in addition to the cold southern oceans, are key drivers of South Africa climate and rainfall conditions.

South Africa's different climatic zones, with its different biodiversities, agricultural and economic activities, are shaped by the availability of one of our scarcest resources, namely fresh water.

Rainfall patterns dictate many activities as it is vital to defining natural habitats and ecosystems. Oceans, being the primary producer of moisture to the atmosphere that eventually produces rain over the country, are therefore playing a critical role in shaping the socio-economic activities in our land.

The month-long celebrations of National Marine Month include various programmes of events in different parts of the country including the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Southern Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.

Did you know?

The world's ocean:

• generates most of the oxygen we breathe
• helps feed us
• regulates our climate
• primary producer of moisture to the atmosphere, which leads to rain
• cleans the water we drink
• global trade is dominated by sea transport
• offers us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines
• provides limitless inspiration!
   

What you and your family can do to ensure the health of our oceans:

• Reduce your plastic consumption. The most frequently collected items during beach cleanups are made of plastic, think reusable shopping bags, water bottles and utensils.
• Make informed seafood choices. Keep a copy of the sustainable seafood guide with you which indicate which species are green, red or orange. Green meaning you can buy these species legally, orange is that species threatened and red meaning that these species are collapsed therefore the selling and or buying of such species is illegal.
• Dispose of chemicals properly. Never pour chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil or paint into the drain or toilets. Check with your municipality's household hazardous waste program to properly dispose of or recycle chemicals and keep them out of rivers and oceans.
• Choose green detergents and household cleaners or make your own! Besides being better for your own health, these products are safer for the environment since what goes down the drain can end up in our oceans.
• Get the dirt on your beachside retreat. Before you stay in a hotel on the coast, ask staff what happens to their sewage and swimming pool water, and if they source their restaurant fish from sustainable sources.
• Find out the source of your food. Buying local, organic food reduces your carbon footprint, supports the local economy and reduces the amount of pesticides and fertilisers that end up not just in your stomach, but as run-off in rivers and oceans, too.
• Fill your yard with indigenous species. Reducing the amount of grass in your lawn by planting indigenous shrubs and flower beds will provide a better habitat for birds and other wildlife and require far less water and fertiliser, which can seep into the oceans.
• Keep your beach visit clean. When visiting the beach, stay off fragile sand dunes, take your trash with you and leave plants, birds and wildlife for everyone to enjoy.

https://www.gov.za/MarineMonth2022

Lessons from the Cape Town water crisis

Posted by Jessica Fell

Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Civil Engineering - University of Cape Town

and Kirsty Carden 

Associate Professor and Interim Director of the Future Water Research Institute - University of Cape Town

Posted on Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Cape Town, South Africa faced a crippling drought between 2016 and 2018. The widely reported “Day Zero” crisis, wherein the city faced the real possibility of the taps being turned off, presented an acute shock and highlighted major vulnerabilities in the city’s water supply system, which relies largely on six large dams. Due to a combination of demand incentives, intensive supply management, and behavioral change campaigns, Cape Town was able to avert “Day Zero.” However, the crisis provided a number of useful lessons and exposed the critical need for a water system rooted in principles of resilience and a renewed technical approach to water management aimed at equity, sustainability, and water sensitivity.

Having recently acknowledged World Water Day 2022, it is an opportune time to reflect on how the crisis in Cape Town was yet another expression of the growing water turbulence characterizing our world today. Water scarcity is becoming an increasing threat because of climate change impacts (including changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures) and increasing water demand. Symptoms such as dysfunctional sanitation in urban slums, deteriorating water quality in river catchments and aquifers, and extensive biodiversity loss are critical warning signals that conventional urban water management is ill-suited to address water security concerns.

In urban areas, human-centered processes govern the water cycle; urban water users do not consume water but rather pollute it. Water security is thus more than a quantity issue; it considers quality, productivity, attitudes and behaviors, and governance. Effectively managing water scarcity requires multidisciplinary perspectives in complex decisionmaking structures—engineering, planning, hydrology, environmental and climate science, social science, policy expertise, and more.

A multidisciplinary academic team from three higher education institutions in the Western Cape province of South Africa came together following the Cape Town drought to explore different responses to water scarcity across the world—in a collaboration named “Cities facing escalating water shortages.” Six task teams were established to consider political, economic, technical science, natural science, social science, and civil society aspects through several workshops with 50 diverse stakeholders. The collaboration produced an edited collection of position documents that address these multiple perspectives on urban water security in a publication titled “Towards the blue-green city: Building urban water resilience.”

You can download a copy «« HERE »»

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2022/03/30/lessons-from-the-cape-town-water-crisis-and-the-need-for-a-renewed-technical-agenda/

Refuse Collection Update

The refuse collection should continue as per normal but unfortunately we have been notified of delays with the recycling collections.

Collections in the following areas will be affected: Green Point,

Mouille Point, Three Anchor Bay, Sea Point, Fresnaye, Hout Bay

Llandudno, Camps Bay, Clifton and De Waterkant.

The Department has advised that collections will resume on the 13th July. Please if you can keep your recycling inside till then or drop at the Sea Point Recycling Drop Off site on Tramways Road. Apologies for the inconvenience.

Camps Bay Social Development (through ignisive.com)

Our thanks goes out to the following projects to assist our people living on the street:

18 mattresses were kindly donated by South Beach (Tony Stern) to Ignisive selected partner Ons Plek. 

Soup donation by sisters Danielle Stein and Nicky Bloomberg for Ignisive Community Stewards…were made for Father’s Day…in honour of the sisters father, a champion soup maker.  

CoCT Mayco Cllr Patricia van der Ross requested Ignisive strategy be presented to all stakeholders/organizations in the homeless sector.  We then illustrated our collaborative community stakeholder approach, of ignisive in Camps Bay, as every community leader (from SAPS, CoCT, CBCRA, CPF, etc.) joined forces to present together.

 

CoCT Give Dignity initiative with Ward Councillor, Nicola Jowell and Reintegration Team (led by Fiona Bosch), supported with launch of our #igniteResponsibly (Ignisive Give Responsibly movement), took place with everyone engaging motorists and beachfront visitors with posters.  

We had a recent joint operation at 4am, led by Western Cape Government Department of Social Development (Alfred De Vries and Andrea Castle) and assisted by City of Cape Town DSD Reintegration (Fiona Bosch), to assist in helping the (13) children and (8 adults) families off street into care…with the youngest being a two-week-old baby.  

Camps Bay Community Litter Clean on Saturday 30 July 11h00 – 12h00

 Camps Bay Community Litter Clean on Saturday 30 July 11h00 – 12h00

Please join us for a Community Beach Clean on Saturday 30 July 11h00 – 12h00. We meet opposite The 41 Restaurant.

Please bring members of your family and friends, wearing gloves. I will provide bags.

The 41 Restaurant offers a complimentary coffee/tea/cold drink for each participant. The person collecting the most litter wins two The 41 hamburgers. #thankyou Marius Blanc.

We welcome learners in joining us for their Community projects.

LETS KEEP CAPE TOWN CLEAN, TOGETHER