NEWS NEWS
Village
The
24 October 2018
Cape Whale Coast
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FCJ Independent Newspaper of the Year
HAPPINESS IS Carefree children, seemingly unaffected by the many challenges facing our communities, welcomed the warmer weather to get outside and play. With temperatures expected to remain in the high 20s for the rest of this week, summer has finally arrived. PHOTO: De Waal Steyn
Urgent housing plan needed De Waal Steyn
T
here has been much debate regarding the shacks that have seemingly sprung up overnight around the destroyed Zwelihle swimming pool, and on the Schulphoek land that is still private property. According to the Municipality, some 2 100 structures have been erected in what is now called Marikana, next to the pool. Many of the structures were erected on what were formerly
municipal rubbish dumps. Reports place the number of structures in the Schulphoek area, now referred to as Dubai, at close on 900. Residents of Beach Club, which is located adjacent to Dubai, are reporting that shacks are being erected at a pace of at least five a day. “Work on erecting structures continues day and night with chainsaws being used to cut down the Milkwood trees, followed by burning the remaining stumps in order to clear the site. The smoke from these fires hangs over the area
like a thick smog,” said one resident. Stephen Müller, Municipal Director of Infrastructure and Planning, said work on the 150 emergency plots that were agreed to with the community is continuing, but the number of additional shacks that have been erected is hampering the work. “It is difficult to install services when you have to work in between structures that are very close to one other. We now have to try and plan how additional services can be installed to service all the new
structures that have been erected.” With regard to the Schulphoek land, Müller said the Municipality has no power to act against people erecting illegal structures, as it is private land. “There is one part of the land next to Abagold that belongs to the Municipality, where we do not allow people to erect any structures as this is the future site of our desalination plant. The reason that piece of land is so important is that it is situated next to the site where Abagold extracts seawater.
“The extraction of water from the ocean constitutes at least 25% of the capital costs of erecting a desalination plant and it is through this saving that desalination will be an economically feasible option for Hermanus,” said Müller. “The plan is to start construction on the plant by the end of 2019. If we cannot build the plant on that piece of land, desalination will not be an option and future water security of Greater Hermanus will be put at risk,” said Müller. Continues on P 3
