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CAPE TIMES
The Civil Rights Action Group expected about 500 protesters, but over 2 000 people joined the anti-toll plaza march on Chapmans Peak yesterday. Here people crowd around the podium, with Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle standing beneath the question mark. Picture: COURTNEY AFRICA
Transport and Public Works MEC Robin Carlisle faced a barrage of criticism from thousands of Capetonians who marched along Chapman’s Peak Drive yesterday to protest against the R54-million toll plaza and luxury office to be built on national park land.
While the organisers had asked for a permit for 500 people, more than 2 000 protesters joined in the march to the site of the proposed new toll plaza.
The DA came under fire from many of the protesters, and Carlisle was heckled and booed.
He was invited to receive a memorandum addressed to Premier Helen Zille. As he got out of his vehicle, he was surrounded by a placard-carrying crowd.
“We voted for you,” shouted James Brodie.
“We voted for the DA, but you let us down, china. What happens if we vote for someone else?”
Some of the placards read “DA Carlisle shame on you”, “Protect Chappies from politicians and corporate greed”, “Murray and Robbers don’t steal our land”, “No to Entilini, no to DA”, “SANParks sellout sucks”, “Jou ma se tol!” and “Jou ma se office block”.
Asked to comment yesterday, Zille said she would “read the memorandum carefully and respond in detail”.
The march was organised by the Civil Rights Action Group (Crag) to show their “outrage” against the provincial government, SANParks and Murray and Roberts for “promoting the construction of a toll plaza and office block on Chapman’s Peak Drive within Table Mountain National Park”.
When Carlisle told the crowd the toll buildings would go ahead, some of the mainly white crowd yelled: “Phantsi, Carlisle, phantsi!”
Phillip Bam, of the Greater Cape Town Alliance, took the microphone and said: “Robin Carlisle used to fight with us against evil like this.
“That’s why you voted for him. Now he tries to buy you off saying there will be free day-passes once there is a proper toll plaza. Let us say to the minister: ‘Today the people have spoken … We don’t want a uxury office block here’.”
Protest convener Bronwen Lankers-Byre gave the memorandum to Carlisle, which said the building of the office on national parks land was unlawful and the premier would be “aiding and abetting an illegal act”. The memo called on Zille to retain the free day-pass and to cancel the contract for the toll plaza and office.
Robert Pomario of Murray & Roberts received a memorandum calling for the release of traffic figures and to reveal how much money the Entilini Trust had paid out to local communities of Hangberg, Redhill, Ocean View and Imizamo Yethu.
No one from SANParks was there to receive the memorandum addressed to the organisation, which called on it to refuse to deproclaim the portion of Table Mountain National Parks that would give land “free of charge to Entilini, a private company” to build its corporate office.
Len Swimmer, chairman of the Residents’ Association of Hout Bay, told Carlisle in his address: “So it’s not just me and three members, it’s thousands of people here.
“The people have spoken. The luxury office block should not be here … it is not for the benefit of the people, only for the benefit of Entilini and Murray and Roberts.”
Carlisle told the crowd that, despite the opposition, the toll road was there to stay. Around R190m had been invested to make the “very dangerous” pass safe, which made it one of the most expensive roads in the country. If the cost of the repairs were to be paid out of the general fiscus and not from a toll, it would be “most unfair” on other South Africans. The agreement with Entilini was not legally faulty. If residents believed it was, they could go to court, he said. - Cape Times
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natheem, wrote
DA - shame on you! Office block on chappies, are they going to let the Zille co. use it when its empty, just like that Ad company with the Provinces biggest contract, now doing the media for the DA.
Joe, wrote
1) DA since you are so democratic (lol) GIVE US A FORENSIC AND PUBLICLY REPORTED AUDIT OF ALL FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS between SANPARKS, WCAPE GOV & ENTILINI just to set the record straight 2) Note: The road was just as good without the toll for the last 70 years thank you very much. 3) SANPARKS you of all people are supposed to be custodian of the Park - how COULD you abuse our faith in you and when will your boss resign in shame? This is nature protected zone. Stay out!!
Anonymous, wrote
The DA is not perfect... not yet anyway... but Cape Town is definitely the best run province in South Africa...
@Helen Zille, wrote
How will an office block help pay for a toll road?????????????????????????????????Time for a life style audit on your Mr Carlisle.
ROD, wrote
Get rid of this guy Carlisle. The DA forgets that we can just as easily vote them out of power.
ROD, wrote
Carlisle is an arrogant SOB I always trusted the DA but there name is tarnishing more and more. Hope Zille reads this.
Chris, wrote
Cleo, wrote
LOL, wrote
“That’s why you voted for him. Now he tries to buy you off saying there will be free day-passes once there is a proper toll plaza. Let us say to the minister: ‘Today the people have spoken … We don’t want a(fail)-> uxury office block here’.”
Anonymous, wrote
Siestog @ sipho rock dwindling star, wrote
.......and the western cape still voted the best in everything......even the matric pass rate!!!! I should move to Cape Town and start voting DA!!!
Jeremy, wrote
Away with the toll. If CT-pple must pay for the Gauteng roads, then GP-pple can pay for Chappies. Then we don't need any office-blocks build.
Barry, wrote
Why don't we make consumers just pay for everything and the taxes just go straight into government officials and their cronies pockets. At least then we get what we pay for. Is the government now going to charge us every time they fix a road? I think we should all just buy 4x4's and then drive on dirt, and the government can go to hell. Whats next, tollgates inside Kruger National Park? Where else are no alternative roads where the government can force us to pay toll. Seems like the consensus is, to make the other roads unusable and build a giant new road where the old ones where and force people to pay toll. Biblical times they used to do the same thing, but at least then you only had to pay toll to get into the city, not to use the roads inside.
sisie, wrote
Good bye "Natural Wonder of the World" - once again money talks and future generations are not even given an inkling of thought. Let them build this and before you know it the mountain will be one big building site - oh not to forget a mine......
Anonymous, wrote
Robin Carlile is as arrogant as his leader this will teach the people of Hout Bay to vote DA.
GW, wrote
Brad, wrote
@anonymous 11:30 - Yip, the true colour you mean. The colour of money. This Carlisle guy flip-flops so much when money talks, he is staring to look like a fish stuck on the shore.
Indlovu, wrote
sipho rock star, wrote
Who cares, the are the Capies part of SA? they have their own party running them, they are tucked away in their own corner..... This would not have happened if the ANC was there..... Vote ANC Cape Town
Anonymous, wrote
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