A CHURCH-RUN soup kitchen, which provides meals to thousands of needy people in Cape Town landed itself in hot water after its founder was summonsed to appear in court over a noise complaint.
Methodist Church of Southern Africa Minister Reverend Cecil Begbie said he refused to sign the summons served by Metro Police officers alleging that he permitted noise in a private residence.
The complaint was laid by one of the residents. Begbie is scheduled to appear at the Wynberg Magistrate’s court in May or face R1 000 fine.
In 2014 the soup kitchen, which serves more than 1 000 unemployed adults in Lansdowne, Kalksteenfontein, and Valhalla Park and 5 000 children in nine primary schools across the Cape Flats, was threatened with closure as some people saw it as a nuisance. Begbie was first issued with a notice that he had violated the city's by-laws after residents complained about noise in 2015.
He said the charge that noise was permitted from a private residence had been laid against the wrong person. “Our immediate neighbours have complained to Metro Police that our soup kitchen people are making a noise and thus disturbing them.
‘‘I refused to sign the summons because at no point have I permitted noise from my private residence,” he said.
Begbie said their soup kitchen people claimed the noise coming from the traffic as a result of the new road constructed by the city the was "by far greater”.
“I told the (Metro) Police that if the neighbours are claiming that our soup kitchen people are making a noise then they should charge those whom they are alleging that they are making the noise; in fact they are charging the wrong person (sic),” said Begbie.
He said they served the people on open land far from the houses and they have never had direct complaints before.
“As far as the noise and our soup kitchen people are concerned, we have made every effort to appease our neighbour by not serving soup within the precincts of our house anymore but rather at the furthest point of the open field across the road from our house which is far away from our neighbour’s house, but yet, he is still complaining about the noise,” Begbie said.
The city said the complaint was first laid in November 2015.
“In cases like this, the Law Enforcement Department serves a compliance notice on the accused, making them aware of the complaint and affording them the opportunity to rectify the situation.
“If they don’t do so, they are charged in terms of the by-law relating to Streets, Public Places and the Prevention of Noise Nuisances – which is what happened in this instance.
"The complaint is noise nuisance which is interfering with the comfort and convenience of the complainant in a residential area,” said Area Central mayco member Siyabulela Mamkeli.