Little Glen: Park name debate

https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/park-name-debate-14237138

By

 TARA ISAACS

 April 5, 2018

While the comment period in the public participation process for the renaming of the Little Glen in 1st Crescent, Camps Bay, had ended on March 31, Camps Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association (CBRRA) has come under attack by some residents for not seeing efforts to upgrade and maintain the reserve as a community effort.

The CBRRA had submitted the proposal to the City of Cape Town in 2015 to honour the late Arthur Shephard for all his hard work and efforts for the Little Glen by having the name changed to Arthur Shephard Little Glen Nature Reserve (“Renaming planned”, November 30 2017, Atlantic Sun).

Atlantic Sun is in possession of a barrage of emails from residents who have expressed their concerns around having the Little Glen Playground renamed, especially after a single person. Many of the residents feel that a bench or flower bed should rather be named in Mr Shephard’s honour.

Community volunteer Michele Harvey, who has been involved in many projects in the Camps Bay community, including bringing schools in the area to Little Glen as well as being involved with the 1st Camps Bay Scouts Group for 14 years, said she is not against the hard work Mr Shephard had put into Little Glen but that the idea of having the whole area renamed after him does not sit well. “Many people have worked in this Glen. The principle is, you cannot hurt those people who have worked here before us, you cannot suggest there won’t be people after us. He (Mr Shephard) was magnificent but why change the name.”

She showed the Atlantic Sun the scout clubhouse in the Little Glen and explained that it had been built over a hundred years ago and was donated by the Ward-Cox family. She said: “ So, if we were to start naming people it would then be like a speech at a wedding.”

Ms Harvey said the CBRRA does not represent the wider civic and school organisations who she said have removed themselves from the CBBRA meetings as a result of “frustration, misrepresentation, personal agendas and pet projects, poor communication and past performance”. “For this reason dissemination of relevant community information through CBBRA as a channel cannot be regarded as effective or sufficient to be regarded as due process.”

Terry Chicken, who also keeps his hand on maintaining the Little Glen, had worked closely with Mr Shephard and said that the renaming of the Little Glen is not something that Mr Shephard would have wanted, rather he would have appreciate it if people would continue keeping the grounds in a good condition.

Bernard Schäfer, the chairperson of Camps Bay Community Police Forum (CBCPF), said in an email the CBCPF held a discussion during its full forum meeting at the time and the decision was unanimously agreed upon to not support the renaming of the Little Glen for various reasons.

“The Little Glen Project was not the brainchild of one person, nor was it achieved or financed by one person – on the contrary it was a CBCPF project that was a truly community-based and community-supported project that was made possible by many individuals. For this reason the CBCPF felt (and I echo those sentiments personally) that it would not be fitting to rename the Little Glen after one person, irrespective of how great or appreciated his individual role may have been.

“We feel that keeping the name neutral in its original form is best. We do, however, feel that if Arthur’s contribution should be memorialised in some special way we fully support the idea of a memorial object (bench, tree, table bearing a remembrance plaque etc) in addition even a memorial garden bearing his name. The obvious choice would be the fantastic garden he created almost single-handedly on the land outside of the Little Glen but between 1st Crescent and Finchley Road. This land has no name yet (and therefore does not fall foul to the renaming saga) and a memorial sign could be erected detailing Arthur’s full contribution to the area as a whole including this area and reference to the Little Glen and his special contribution to that ongoing project. Alternatively a memorial garden area within the Little Glen itself.

“These options would be something unique that would bear Arthur’s name and only his name, rather than having a long clumsy sharing of names to try and reach compromise on the difficult task of renaming the Little Glen as a whole.”

Chris Willemse, chairperson at the CBRRA, said one of the major problems that some had with the proposal is that the Little Glen name should not change. “The CBCRA agrees with this but submits that the name is not actually changing but merely getting an honorific before it as the Arthur Shephard Little Glen.

“Unfortunately, a small grouping, which is very anti the CBCRA for their own narrow interests, has also entered the matter and will do whatever to stop this initiative. This is most unfortunate as this is a sensitive issue and certainly not the forum to pursue agendas.”

He said the CBRRA has valid points that have been raised by many who are not in favour of having the playground renamed but feel it is fitting to honour and remember Mr Shephard in this way.

“Another point raised is that many individuals and organisations have put much effort into the maintenance and upgrades of the Little Glen over many years. This is indeed true, but actually underlines the efforts of Arthur. Despite all the efforts of so many over so long, the Little Glen was a crime-infested and derelict area when Arthur took on the challenge in late 2009. He made use of every resource that he could find – and many from the community assisted him – but without his drive and determination, the Little Glen would probably still look as bad as it did then. The facts bear this out.Contextualising Arthur with the Little Glen is completely non-intrusive and will not only serve as an honour and remembrance to him but hopefully will also inspire others to realise that with selfless determination, individuals can make a difference to the community within which they live,” he said.

Brett Herron, chairperson of the City’s Naming and Nomination Committee, said the City’s Public Participation Unit (PPU) conducted a public participation process which was concluded on March 31. This involved asking the local residents and interested and affected parties to indicate their support or objections to the renaming proposal where a dedicated generic email address was made available for submitting comments, as well as the City of Cape Town’s “Have your say” portal, and a dedicated City of Cape Town SMS number.

Mr Herron added: “The PPU will now compile a report about the outcome of the process, and this report will be discussed by the City’s Naming and Nomination Committee who will make a recommendation to the mayor as to whether the reserve should be renamed as proposed. If the mayor agrees, the proposal must be put before council, which is the final decision-making body.”

City of Cape Town continue to pump this untreated effluent into the sea

Photograph and article by
Jean Tresfon - Marine Conservation Photographer

The Nauticat takes a large boatload of tourists to see the cape fur seals at nearby Duiker Island while a huge plume of raw sewage bubbles to the surface near the foot of Chapman's Peak. Not only does the City of Cape Town continue to pump this untreated effluent into the sea despite research showing the potential health hazards to water users, but it does this at a time of drastic water shortages. 28 million litres a day between the three main outfalls, of which probably 50% could be recycled into clean water.

Buzbey owner retires, new chefs step in

The old Buzbey Grill on Three Anchor Bay Road.

The well-known Jimmy Kyritsis, owner of the iconic Buzbey Grill on Three Anchor Bay Road, is hanging up his apron after 36 years.

Jimmy bought the space in 1982 from colleague and old friend Bastian van Stenis and his wife Beryl who had started Buzbey Grill. While he never felt the need for a name change, he made the grill house his own.

He explained how different things were in the 1980s compared to now, with patrons spoilt for choice when it comes to restaurants. “It was very different in the 1980s and the 1990s. In the 1980s Table Bay was partially bush still, the City Bowl had maybe six restaurants, the city centre had three open at night, until the V&A Waterfront opened.”

The Buzbey Grill became part of Sea Point’s history and so has Jimmy. He is well known to the people of Sea Point and surrounds, especially for his mouth-watering steaks, tender calamari and humour.

Jimmy has formed close connections with his customers which will be big shoes to fill for new owners of the space, Gabi and Kyle Knight. They have renamed the space The Shop.

Gabi and Kyle, who were also customers and are professional chefs, approached Jimmy about buying the space from him and it had taken two years for him to decide to sell.

Jimmy behind the grill.

Buzbey Grill was run under the new owners for three months before changing the name. Jimmy worked closely with them for a while to give them an introduction to regular customers.

Gabi said it was a challenging time for them as regular customers would come in and ask for Jimmy. “We thought we could come in and do our own food but the regulars they want their steaks, so we will continue with steaks and introduce some other dishes.”

Not many changes have taken place since Buzbey Grill became The Shop except for minor decor changes, most of the equipment is original, the setup remained the same, some of the staff members have been kept and most importantly, a few dishes such as the steaks, the seafood and the famous grilled calamari finished off in garlic butter and chilli sauce will still be served.

Kyle and Gabi now cater for vegetarians and chicken has been added to the menu.

“Jimmy should be recognised for his service to Sea Point, we are moving forward with the same mindset as Jimmy: good service and good food at a good price,” said Kyle.

Now, at the age of 78, Jimmy said he would like to live a “normal” life after working endless hours behind the hot grill, His idea of a normal life? Swimming, surfing, travelling and doing long walks on the beach. “I stood here (behind the grill) for 15 years and I did it seven days a week, closing just after one in the morning.”

This article is done by Tara Isaacs and can be read at https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/buzbey-owner-retires-new-chefs-step-in-13981458

Developments top list of concern at SFB AGM

Marco van Embden, Martin Bey and Suzanne Kempen.

Despite all the success stories the Sea Point, Fresnaye, Bantry Bay Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association had to share at its annual general meeting last Wednesday, the focal point for residents remained developments.

At the meeting, attended by more than 200 residents, meeting chair Martin Bey came under fire when he told angry residents that a planning committee report would not be read at the meeting because the agenda did not make provision for it.

This happened after association chairman, Marco van Embden, read his chairman’s report in which he spoke of the progress which had been made with relation to safety, security and cleansing initiatives and the upliftment project which had positively impacted the lives of “displaced people”.

The guest speaker at the meeting was JP Smith, the City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, and social services, who addressed the meeting about the traffic issues faced by Sea Point residents.

“I can’t solve the congestion. It’s an area with too narrow roads, too many residents and too many people passing through. That is not something you are going to magically solve but what does have to happen is that we have to make sure that the quality of the enforcement is as good as it can be.”

He explained how in the past he had struggled to get enough enforcement staff available but more officers have joined the ranks which should result in some improvement.

“I want to say one thing around planning: I can see it is a hot potato. When I was councillor here I had a fairly negative view on planning. There are developers in this room who had very big fights with me. I have picked the fruits of the urban regeneration that was driven by developments so this may be a bit hypocritical to have been very tough on planning, while having watched the suburb being redeveloped. The secret here is to find the combination of what keeps the urban regeneration going while not sacrificing all of your heritage and having incentive densification.”

Reflecting on having been against development when he served as ward councillor Mr Smith said, “If I look back at those developments now they have added value.”

This article is by Tara Isaaces and can be read at https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/developments-top-list-of-concerns-at-agm-2-13981472

New tariffs frowned upon by residents

The City of Cape Town said the new tariffs are to ensure that residents stick to the allocated 50 litres a day under Level 6B water restrictions.

Meanwhile deputy mayor Ian Neilson announced this week that Day Zero has been pushed back to Monday June 4.

The new water restrictions tariffs are 6kl: R179.58, 10.5kl: R415.56, 20kl: R1555.56, 35kl R6 685.56 and 50kl R20 365.56.

According to the City, over the past week, consumption has been lowered to 526 million litres per day. “This is the first time that the weekly average usage has remained under 550 million litres due to the City’s pressure management interventions and the efforts by our residents to use as little water as possible,” said Mr Neilson.

However, the new tariffs have been criticised by some residents in the area. Richard Bendal, deputy chairperson of the Camps Bay and Clifton Ratepayers’ Association, called the tariffs “atrocious”.

He also said that it was unfair to punish residents who have been doing their best to save water. “They are totally unfair. The word punitive means punished. You’ve also got a huge discrepancy between businesses and residents. I understand we’re in a crisis but it makes no sense to punish people who’ve done well. Businesses have not pitched in until now and now it’s too little, too late.” He also said that the new tariffs were just the City’s second option to the proposed drought levy which was knocked back in Council.

Osman Shaboodien, chairperson of the Bo-Kaap Civic and Ratepayers’ Association, also criticised the water tariffs. “It is disgusting. We should not have to pay for the incompetence of politicians.” He also said that the poor people in Cape Town will be hit hardest by the new tariffs.

Mr Shaboodien said the infighting within the DA was merely exacerbating the problem. “We as Cape Town need to come together and fix this mess. This madness must stop. If we don’t tackle the problem then we are all going to lose. We were led to believe that everything was under control,” he said.

The City of Cape Town added that dam levels are at only 24.9% compared to 36.1% last year and 43.3% in 2016. Mr Neilson said although the dam levels are much lower than a year ago, they have more information and more control over the system that supplies water to the city.

“Our continued interactions with the national Department of Water and Sanitation have led to much improved data-sharing and analysis, allowing for more reliable modelling and dramatically improved control over dam levels.”

By 

 MATTHEW HIRSCH

https://www.atlanticsun.co.za/news/new-tariffs-frowned-upon-by-residents-13300549

The Betrayal of the City of Cape Town

Three reasons exist as to why the Western Cape is in the claws of a doomsday Day Zero scenario with Capetonians made to feel like water wasting minions. Two reasons are manmade while the third, mother-nature, is mercilessly exposing them.

On the 5th of February 2018, Day Zero was moved out by almost one month from 16 April to 11 May. You may now ask; WHY?

Firstly, let’s take a look at the Western Cape agricultural sector. According to Alan Winde of the DA, in 2013 the gross rand value of the sector was R12bn with a projected growth of 126% by 2019. This exceptional growth will be brought about the Khulisa growth plan and the Smart Agri plan announced by the Western Cape Province in May last year – generously funded by the DA-run Province amidst a conspicuous absence of expansion plans for dams or water supply required to support the heavily increasing agricultural activities.

The reality is 3.7m citizens of the City of Cape Town and the agricultural sector are sharing Theewaterskloof dam, which accounts for 53% of the total capacity of the 6 major dams of the Western Cape. Incidentally, water levels in the dam are sitting at 12,5% on 5 February 2018.

Since the beginning of Spring, the agricultural sector was drawing around 1200ML of water from Tweewaterskloof per day. During the same period, residential usage started around the same amount and saw a rapid decline due to the City Of Cape Town mercilessly driving down water usage of citizens, to a usage of 547 ML’s per day (Dashboard, 5 February 2018). The agricultural sector, however, unabatedly continued to use 1200ML per day until more or less ten days ago, despite calls by DWS to reduce water usage by at first 40% and then by 60%.

Agriculture was directed, as far back as November 2017, to reduce their water usage, but a look at the City’s dashboard reveals this reduction only began 10 days ago. Farmers were unabatedly rushing to fill their quotas, placing tremendous strain on the supply of water to themselves as well as the citizens of Cape Town.

According to the City’s dashboard, the agricultural sector has substantially exceeded their water usage target each week since November 2017.

A closer look at the “wasteful” citizens of the Metro City.

It was fact-checked, by the City, that citizens use 65% of the water supplied.

A simple calculation shows the following for the week ending 5 February 2018; Total water usage by the people living in the Metro is 65% of the 547ML allocated in total – this divided by the 3.7 million citizens gives us a conservative maximum usage, per person, of 95l per day.

However, the figure of 3.7 million people is based on the most recent census, conducted in 2011 whereas it is widely believed many more people live in the Metro City. 95l per person a day is, therefore, an overestimate – it can be reasonably assumed that actual usage is lower per person.

It is therefore hard to fathom or justify why the City’s council deemed it necessary to introduce level 6b water restrictions on residents. It is even harder to understand how or where the City concludes that 60% of citizens are water wasters.” The level 6b water restrictions also carry increases in water tariffs in excess of 500%, which is grossly unacceptable.

Reason number two is the strategy chosen by the City of Cape Town to drive down water usage of citizens, at any cost. Whereas agriculture is set on a growth path requiring higher usage in the absence of any augmentation plans, citizens, who rely on the same source, are forced to reduce water usage.

A further strategic flaw is the forceful installation of Water Management Devices, at a cost of over R4000 each and a rate of 2000 per week – while forcing citizens to accept and be liable for costs. These meters are often faulty, leaving households without water for days, which is causing frustration an general mistrust amongst residents.

It is, therefore, no secret that the Citizens of Cape Town are angry and feel done in. The well-hidden origin of all of this saw light yesterday when the City’s dashboard finally shows what is going on. It is therefore welcomed that all users of the six major dams are now being treated equally. The reduction in water usage by the agricultural sector over the last ten days made a month’s difference in the lives of 3,7 million people. Day Zero was moved out by almost one month and we can breathe again, for a while.

The City of Cape Town and the Western Province DA controlled governments must be stopped in their tracks before they effectively ruin the entire Province for every person living in it.

by Sandra Dickson

https://www.dearcapetown.co.za/betrayal-city-cape-town/

CITY OF CAPE TOWN SEEKS TO TAX CITIZENS TO PLUG BUDGET HOLE

The City of Cape Town point blank refuses to let go of their plan to plug the R1.7bn hole in their budget via a Tax on households. This shortfall came about as the City introduced stringent water restrictions on the citizens of Cape Town as a result of the drought and their predicted Day Zero.

Nielsen from the Mayco of the city: “Council is facing a R 1.7 billion deficit in the current financial year as a result of the strict water restrictions and consequent loss of income.”

During the public participation process around the Drought Charge, the City received 61,002 emails from angry Cape Town citizens who opposed the 10% Drought Charge, calculated on the value of property rates bills. 91% of these emails were sent from a citizen’s initiative website, www.dearcapetown.co.za.

By 19 January the city had processed 36 444 (60%) of the emails they received. The city did not even have the courtesy to process all of the emails before they rushed to concoct an alternative means to Tax citizens.

The three major objections identified by the city are;

Unfair and punitive 34.76%
Bad Planning 21.89%
Overtaxed 14.59%
However, these clear objections fell on deaf City official’s ears as the city responded by immediately proposing a tax of 8% be slapped on top of Property Rates accounts as an alternative.

It is, therefore, the same Tax applied to another service as an attempt to plug the R1.7 deficit. This money is not for any water augmentation solution.

The respondents of the public participation process further offered solutions including sourcing funding from Central Government or the City accessing funds from the bonds market. None of the proposals received from respondents proposes a Property Tax as a solution.

It is clear the City is wholly confused as their attempts to plug the hole in their budget is “marketed” to citizens as “money needed to augment our water supply”. In reality, the money is needed to balance their books. To date, the city has awarded R1,5 Billion Rand in tenders for desalination and borehole solutions to augment the water supply. Residents have yet to witness a single completed project and are asking questions over why investigations at Monwabisi and Strandfontein reveal heaps of pipes, but no signs of desalination plant construction.

Water experts including, Anthony Turton seriously question the workability of the borehole solutions, as the laying of pipes from the boreholes to the reticulation system and purifying plants will be over private land as there are servitude issues.

The city appears too stubborn to change its ways and is not listening to the public. Instead, the voice of the people is warped and misconstrued to suit ineffective and decades-old solutions. If the city’s methods were effective, the water security issue would have been addressed in a more holistic manner and DAY ZERO would not be an issue.

Residents call on the City to change their ways and to adjust to the South African economy where salary increases are below inflation and the country’s GDP is under 1%. The city simply cannot continue to slap above-inflation increases onto ratepayers for every service.

The city needs to be reformed immediately by realising they cannot operate in isolation and pass the financial buck via taxing citizens when money is needed.

https://www.dearcapetown.co.za/city-cape-town-seeks-tax-citizens-plug-budget-hole/