With regard to the proposed upgrade of Muizenberg police station:
Please contact SAPS for comment as the City was not involved in this decision. Police stations are built by national government.
With regard to the general improvement of living
conditions (In Masiphumelele):
The wetlands area was allowed to be illegally settled upon by a previous administration, despite the fact that wetlands in general cannot be safely or legally serviced.
This has left us with an incredibly challenging situation, for which there is no single or overnight solution. The City is also challenged by the fact that there are many other settlements throughout Cape Town that require investment, some of which have been in existence for much longer than Masiphumelele.
Given the legislative and resource impediments with which we are faced, the city cannot act only within its own limited resources and mandate to solve the substantial and rapid urbanisation issues in Masiphumelele and elsewhere.
Other government spheres have a responsibility to lead, to guide and to assist local government with issues of extreme urbanisation, hence the establishment of the inter-governmental task team to look at cleansing, water, and sanitation matters in Masiphumelele.
The purpose of the task team is to establish remedial measures to be taken by the national, provincial and local government authorities to apply urgency to the service delivery challenges in Masiphumelele. It is working said the Masiphumelele, Noordhoek, Action Plan Matrix.
Matrix said the following progress has been made as at the beginning of February:
– The preliminary work on the technical investigation into the feasibility of diverting polluted low-flow stormwater from the existing Masiphumelele canals into the sewer has been completed. In this regard, a pilot project is being undertaken which will form part of the wash house structure and also divert grey water to sewers. This pilot project will be completed by the end of June. Depending on the success of the wash houses, it is envisaged that more wash houses will be rolled out
– The regular cleaning of the stormwater canals continues on average on a daily basis except on weekends and public holidays due to resource constraints. A combination of contractors and Expanded Public Works Programme workers are being used for the cleaning operations. Where it is warranted, mechanical methods are also being used.
– The introduction of more
frequent cleaning of silt and sludge from the stormwater canals is ongoing. Where resources are available, increased frequency of this cleaning is being implemented.
– A door-to-door refuse bag service of two bags per dwelling per week is being provided and the solid waste containers are being serviced twice per week. In the formal areas, the bags are being removed two to three days after being filled and in the informal areas the removal of bags is ongoing. There is also ongoing litter picking seven days a week. Illegally dumped material is also being removed on an ongoing basis.
– Green bins were introduced in February to assist with the containment of solid and liquid waste in the informal areas of Masiphumelele. This will be a pilot project which will be monitored and assessed.
– Education and awareness campaigns regarding the impacts of pollutants entering the stormwater system and the wetlands area are under way. This includes proactive actions and interventions that residents could take to minimise the pollution of the stormwater system. Awareness campaigns will also be conducted regarding the impacts of pollutants on the health, human and natural ecosystems.
– Maintenance of toilets and standpipes as well as work on fixing and unblocking broken toilets is ongoing. The city is also looking at constructing more standpipes and wash areas in the informal area of Masiphumelele.
– These action points were confirmed during a meeting between the city, the national Department of Water and Sanitation, and the national and provincial departments of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning.
Over the medium-term, work is also at an advanced stage pertaining to the
extension of the Houmoed Road while the Masiphumelele Phase 4 housing project is under way.
The City drafted a development framework for Masiphumelele, based on public input. It is hoped that this framework would eventually assist with questions regarding the future development of this settlement.
With regard to illegal occupation of the wetland:
The issues surrounding the illegal occupation of the wetlands have been continually raised with the various leadership groupings in Masiphumelele. Our officials are in Masiphumelele on a daily basis and we do our best to inform and engage with our residents about the dangers and health risks associated with occupying the uninhabitable wetlands land.
The City as well as SANParks have long-standing inter.dicts in place to protect the wetlands from invasion, both from an ecological point of view as well as from the view of the safety of the residents.
In addition, it must be noted that there is no available land in Masiphumelele.
All habitable land is already occupied - including the fire and safety breaks and any land which the city has re-blocked to improve access to basic and emergency services.
Given the overcrowding in Masiphumelele, there is the constant movement or constant attempted movement on to the wetland areas, which are not safe. Come winter, those occupants will be subject to extreme flooding as the water table rises.
Further illegal invasions are absolutely detrimental to the future of Masiphumelele. Currently, the wetland area is extremely dry as a result of the drought but this will change when the rain comes.
Any illegally erected structures will pose an extreme health, fire and flood risk for our residents.
Due to the density of the informal areas in Masiphumelele and the rapid and constantly growing population of Masiphumelele, emergency and basic services remain a challenge and the city cannot allow this situation to be exacerbated by new structures being erected illegally.
It must be emphasised that the city will continue to remove illegally erected structures in the wetland area or near the site of the Masiphumelele Phase 4 housing project.
Limberg is mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services; energy.