To see how hard working Ward Councillors go about their jobs, see Ward 1 councillor, Stanford Slabbert’s newsletter below.
You may contact Ward 1 using the contact form at the bottom of this report.
Councillor Stanford Slabbert’s report to the Sector 2 Sub Crime Forum Incorporating Lovemore Heights, Miramar, Mount Pleasant, Pari Park, Providentia and Walmer Heights.
The usual farcical public participation meetings haunted us again over the past month and the latest IDP will be presented to Council, tomorrow, 31st May. The Ward 1 listing reflects the main points in the Ward 1 plan, which is enclosed for your perusal. Please let me know if we need to make any corrections or additions.
Vedette de Andrade and Anneen van Rooyen are the two new ladies who work in the Ward 1 office and please call them on 041 583 1732 if you need any assistance.
1. NMB Service Delivery “War Room”:
Francois Hay and his team continue to do a superb job and they are having a massive impact on service delivery. The JOC call centre, also known as the Service Delivery War Room, is efficient and friendly operators issue a reference number for each complaint, and feedback is provided.
Water leaks, pot-holes, broken street lights, electricity problems and blocked sewers are just some of the everyday problems that can be reported, 24/7.
Please report any service delivery problems to 0800 20 50 50.
2. Crime in the area: All incidents of Crime must please be reported to 10111.
Walmer SAPS Sector Manager = W/O Andrea Dicker = 082 065 9165. Station = 509 4000.
If NHW patrollers note any problems whilst on patrol, such as leaking water / sewer pipes, or overflowing manholes, or street lights not working, please call 0800 20 50 50. If no progress is noted, please contact Vedette or myself.
Latest trends: Always switch on your alarm, especially when leaving your home, and at night. NHW patrols play a very important part in ensuring community safety, as gangs know which areas are more protected than others. Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be proactive and work together with your NHW team. They deserve your full support!
Gangs are still targeting shopping centre car-parks, using remote devices to block the remote locking of your vehicle. Please ensure that your vehicle is locked before walking away from it. Remember that insurance does not pay out if there is no forced entry to your vehicle!
Gangs are monitoring people who withdraw cash at Banks and ATM’s. Be aware. Many people have been attacked and robbed after being followed from the bank to their destination. Be careful. Ensure that you are not being followed. If worried, drive to the nearest SAPS centre. Remember, these gangs will stop at nothing!!!
3. Overgrown erven cause many problems:
A list of overgrown undeveloped erven in Beethoven Avenue, Walmer Heights, was included in my previous report. Has there been any improvement? Have any been cleared?
A similar list of overgrown erven was compiled for the Lovemore Lake area, off Hilltop Rd, and Lovemore Heights, where unsightly overgrown vacant plots create a crime risk. Has there
been any improvement? Are there any plots that need to be added to the list?
4. Boundary Road vlei and related flood problems:
This vlei will remain as a storm-water vlei, and the level is being dropped so that silt can be removed. The holding capacity of the vlei is to be increased, and Engineers are looking at ways to reduce the inflow from Lovemore Heights. Once information is available, it will be circulated.
5. Problems in the area:
Overhanging trees impede motorists: Botha Street and Athlone Street, Mount Pleasant, are two problem areas with overhanging trees, and it appears that budget problems are impacting on service delivery, as departments have run out of money to do their jobs. Efforts will continue to get the work done, failing which I will push for immediate action when the new budget kicks in from 1st July.
Street lights not being timeously repaired: Reports have been received that some broken lights have not been repaired three months after first being reported. This is unacceptable and efforts will continue to get a quick turn-around on such faults. Keep reporting such incidents to the JOC, as more pressure is placed on officials.
Household garbage being placed on roadside too early: Please note that it is an offense to place your garbage bags on the verge too early, ie. the day before collection. There is a Municipal by-law that will be enforced, and your help will be appreciated. Let’s keep our suburbs neat and tidy, and only place the bags on the verge on the scheduled morning of collection. Please report offenders to the Ward office, or JOC.
Sewerage system blockages cause for major concern: Efforts will continue to get senior officials to act and implement projects to resolve this issue. Have you had regular blocked sewers? Please email me with the details, so that all the problem areas can be monitored and included in our efforts.
Sewerage smells in Mount Pleasant area: Some residents have reported putrid rotten smells in the area near Kruger Street / Kelly’s Vlei. Have you been affected? When you do get the whiff, please report it to the JOC.
Salisbury Park: Dumping & Thefts: If you notice anyone dumping in this area, please take a photo, or take down the vehicle details, and report it to the Service Centre, or my Ward office. Cable and electricity box theft is another major concern. Please call 10111 and 0800 20 5050 if you notice any suspicious activity.
Zero Service delivery at Lovemore Lake suburb – Hilltop Road, Theescombe: Metro departments continue to neglect their responsibilities in this new suburb. To date no improvements have been seen and efforts will continue to resolve the situation. Private land owners are the biggest culprits, as their vacant plots are creating a huge security and health risk for those residents who have developed their properties.
Storm-water remains a major concern: Continued delays in implementing the planned upgrades of the local storm-water systems are cause for major concern. Flattened kerbs, in Overdale and Edmonds Roads, Lovemore Heights, creates an escape route for storm-water that is supposed to flow into the roadside drain-pits. Most of these kerb alterations are illegal and punitive action is being considered against owners who tamper with the roadside kerbs.
Illegal Taxi rank opposite Engen garage, Buffelsfontein Road: Despite numerous requests for policing, the traffic hazards, u-turns, congestion, pollution and the
environmental concerns remain a major problem at this illegal site on Buffelsfontein Road. Efforts will continue to resolve these matters, as motorists and pedestrians are being placed in danger, on a daily basis, by these negligent and irresponsible taxi drivers.
Arlington Landfill site: I encourage residents to utilise this facility, but please continue to exercise caution. Please let me know how you find it. The broken weighbridge should be repaired soon, which will speed up the queue to cross the weighbridge.
6. Traffic Matters:
Please report illegal activities / speeding hotspots to the Metro Call centre at 041 – 585 1555. When you call in a complaint, request a reference number, so that progress can be tracked.
Speed Hot-spots, where speed monitoring has been requested, include: Buffelsfontein Road, between Longmeadow and Melsetter Road; Boundary Road, between Cyril and Milkwood Avenue, past the vlei; Melsetter Road, between Buffelsfontein and Bernard Roads; Hilltop Road, through the dip. Any others? Please let me know!
Speed humps have been requested for Merle Road, where it intersects with Blumberg, as well as the cul-de-sac of Blumberg Road. Evidently motorists speed in this area, and many children play in the street. Please email me comments, support or opposition, soonest.
Speed humps have also been requested in the dip in Hilltop Road, as vehicles are speeding through this area and the situation is hazardous to local residents. Do you support the call for speed humps in this street? Or do you object to this? Please let me know by 5th June.
Speeding buses are often reported. If you note a bus just stopping anywhere, or speeding, please make a note of the date, time, place, and the bus fleet number, and report this info to Vedette. We will forward complaints to Algoa Bus.
Do you stop dead at stop streets? Remember that it is a R1000 fine if you ignore a stop sign!!!
7. Housing and Land matters:
Erf 3062, Lovemore Heights. Unfinished building at 63 Greenways Road. Overgrown plot. Building Inspectorate have been requested to seek a demolition order. This property is a mess.
Erf 3327, Lovemore Heights: Edmonds Road. Issues with the actual dwelling, driveway and fence, continue. Ownership of the adjacent POS on Erf 1832 is being checked.
Erf 81, Emerald Street, Mount Pleasant: Vacant plot, covered in bush and debris. The Building Inspectorate and Public Health have served notices on the owner to comply.
Erf 3507, 3 Schubert Road, Walmer Heights: Overgrown and abandoned building. Officials are investigating further action, as the owner has not complied with a recent Court Order.
Erf 525, 87 Bernard Road, Lovemore Heights: Subdivision, as per the attached H&L letter and diagram. Any objections to this proposed subdivision? Please email me by 5th June.
Erf 8, 55 Buffelsfontein Road, Mount Pleasant: Rezoning of this erf from Res 1 to Res 3 to allow the development of 24 Sectional title units on this property. Despite my objections, the ANC voted to allow this development to proceed at the recent Housing & Land meeting on Friday, 24th May. I then called for the item to be deferred until such time that Buffelsfontein has been upgraded to a double carriageway, but this was ignored. See attached map of area.
8. General matters:
Victoria Drive is very dangerous, especially at night: Most street Lights have been completely stolen along the length of Victoria Drive and at night sections of the road are in complete darkness. Cable theft is rife and there are no short-term solutions. Cattle are often being herded along this road, at night, and motorists are urged to exercise extreme caution when using this road, especially after sunset. If you notice any suspicious activity, please contact 10111 or the Service Delivery JOC.
9. Ward 1 IDP plan:
The latest Ward Plan, dated 10th April, 2013, is attached. Please send comments and or suggestions to my office soonest. The summarised list from the IDP is also included. This does contain a few grammatical errors.
10. Ward 1 Committee:
This Residents Association still needs to be represented on my Ward 1 Committee, so we must identify one person from this area, to be nominated for this position. Who is available? If interested, please send me an email, or call me.
The process to formalise the Ward Committee elections is about to be restarted, and hopefully we will have democratically elected Ward Committees within the next three months.
11. Supplementary Valuation Roll:
The NMBM Supplementary Valuation Roll is open for public inspection at the office of the Chief Financial Officer, Ground Floor, Mfanasekhaya Gqobose Building, Govan Mbeki Avenue, PE. for the period 6 May 2013 to 14 June 2013, Mondays to Fridays (08:00-16:00). In addition, the Supplementary Valuation Roll is also available on the Municipality’s website: www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za
The closing date for submission of objections: Friday, 14 June 2013, before 16:00
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