DURBANVILLE
Woensdag, 24 Junie 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
Caught red-handed
@TygerBurger
TygerBurger
Teken in by www.netwerk24.com.
NERINA: RESIDENTS IRKED BY THOROUGHFARE
Row over pathway ESMÉ ERASMUS @erasmusesme
Caught red-handed on camera, these illegal fishermen were photographed by irate residents around Vygeboom dam on Youth Day last Tuesday. Residents are pestered by fishermen who allegedly park in front of their driveways, urinate against trees and litter the area. Read article on page 3.
NETWERK24. ALLES OP EEN PLEK.
Residents in Nerina are irked about a permanent tarred pathway that will be built by the City of Cape Town through the green belt in their neighbourhood – giving permanence to the exact “informal” pathway they have been complaining about for years. A total of 99 residents wrote objection letters to Theresa Uys, councillor for ward 112, to voice their disapproval. The Nerina Work Group, which was formed in 2018 by residents to address the issues around the pathway, is also planning to get a legal opinion on the matter, as the adjacent residents never received any written notice of a public participation process that has been followed by the City. The permanent pathway will be built from Plataan Road via Claasens Park to Primrose Crescent in Nerina. It is part of the non-motorised transport (NMT) project in Durbanville, which is currently being constructed at a cost of R34,3million. The project is funded by the City’s public transport network grant. This project entails the construction of new sidewalks, upgrading of existing sidewalks and existing cycle lanes to ensure that they are clearly demarcated and signed, as well as minor road upgrades to accommodate the new NMT routes in Fisantekraal, Durbanville and Bellville. This tarred pathway in Nerina came as a blow in the face of the Nerina Work Group, which has complained about the thoroughfare of between 400 and 450 pedestrians daily on this “informal” pathway – mostly domestic workers, gardeners and staff working at Reddam House – to gain access to D’Urbanvale and Clara Anna Fontein via the Uitkamp wetland. TygerBurger reported on their concerns since 2018 (“Wetlands the cause of woe for residents”, 16/05/2018 and “Plan for wetlands not welcomed”, 23/10/2018).
According to Brian Bellingfield, spokesperson for the Nerina Work Group, residents are concerned about an increase in crime and littering in their neighbourhood, especiallly by bin scratchers who also use the pathway on garbage days. They use Claasens Park to sort their waste, leaving behind their unwanted rubbish. They also use the park as a toilet. Criminals also disguise themselves among the pedestrians and there were a few instances in which pedestrians were assaulted or robbed on the pathway. “In January last year over 76% of Nerina residents supported a petition to close the gate from Nerina to the wetland,” Bellingfield said in a media release to TygerBurger. “The petition was submitted to subcouncil 7 with copies to the mayor’s office. To date our petition has been completely ignored,” Bellingfield said. Two months later on 18 March the Nerina Work Group did a presentation to subcouncil 7 to pursue their issue (Gates a thorny issue”, 29/05/2019). They wanted the selflocking gates giving access to the wetland – situated in Primrose Crescent in Nerina and in Sunbird Crescent in D’Urbanvale – to be permanently closed to prevent the thoroughfare through their neighbourhood. They suggested that the pedestrian traffic be redirected to enter D’Urbanvale along Koeberg Road – only about 200m longer than the shortcut through the wetland. However, the closure of the gates was not approved. Bellingfield said they were never consulted, part of any public participation process or even just informed that a permanent pathway was planned through the green belt in their neighbourhood. According to him it was not even mentioned to them while they were in several meetings, during a site visit with Uys and even when they did their presentation to subcouncil. V To page 6.