Publications
Partners
Local residents have advised ward councillor Elizabeth Brunette to look for permanent solutions to their concerns.
The residents made the request at a public meeting held at Church on Main on Tuesday 7 August.
More than 50 residents attended the meeting.
The Wynberg Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association had requested the meeting to address the needs of the community (“Residents call for a meeting”, People’s Post, 12 June).
They agreed on the need to address the issues of public transport, problem buildings, illegal parking, illegal street vendors and crime.
With regard to transport issues, residents said a bigger taxi rank would be a solution. The locals said they believed the illegal operating and reckless parking were due to a lack of proper infrastructure.
Resident Karabo Rajuili said: “No security system will solve the problem of insufficient space. The taxi rank is very small. There is a need to reorganise the structure to provide viable departure points.”
Craig McLeod added that streets such as Cogil are mostly affected by illegal taxi operations, and long-term interventions are needed.
Erika Eslin urged Brunette to follow up on the problem building issue as she said they attract criminal elements and dirt in the community.
Brunette advised that residents should take advantage of the available channels to address their concerns to make sure they reach the officials. She said even though most of service delivery issues can be addressed through her office, there are issues that are directly dealt with by certain departments, including heritage buildings, crime and competence of the police.
She said the issue of public transport and its infrastructure would be run along with the MyCiTi route development.
Brunette said the decisions about the proposed route are expected to be discussed by the council in September. She said once the decisions are made, there will be public engagements to allow residents to comment and state their concerns..
“I would like you to attend and participate in these engagements,” Brunette said.
She promised to follow up on other concerns raised at the meeting and make sure Law Enforcement plays its part to enforce bylaws especially in dealing with illegal trading and parking.
Brunette apologised for the unsuccessful attempt to bring experts to answer on safety and security issues in the area.
Mayco member for transport and urban development, Brett Herron, confirmed the City is still finalising the proposed route alignment for the roll-out of the MyCiTi service in Wynberg.
“More information will be available once this process has been concluded. We will be able to provide more clarity on the timeframes for the construction of the infrastructure needed for the roll-out and implementation of Phase 2A once we have received confirmation from National Treasury about our funding requirements.”
Chairperson of the WRA, Kristina Davidson, thanked Brunette, stating that the association is satisfied with her promises. She said they would wait for her to give feedback on some of the issues next month.
