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0 viewsWith the imminent local elections in mind, I met with Beverley Schafer, DA candidate for Ward 54 (Green Point to Camps Bay) and Head of Communications and New Media to discuss how far the DA has come in the past ten years and their plans for the future.
Since Ward 54 has arguably undergone one of the most dramatic transformations, revolving mainly around the Sea Point Promenade and Pavilion, I hoped to gain a better understanding of the overall aim of the DA for the Mother city.
According to current DA councillor, JP Smith, before the year 2000, parks were derelict and overrun by the homeless and junkies. He counted no less than 380 homeless people and 14 slums in Ward 54 better known for its sleaze than beauty. Main Road had 120 empty shops and the area was referred to as ‘Hillbrow by the sea’.
Today, amongst 31 public spaces, many parks are now properly maintained and there are allocated ‘play areas’ where children can play safely. They are locked at night to prevent vandalism and for a small donation, previously unemployed people have been recruited for supervision duty during the day. To increase citizen activism, residents can follow the example of the Sea Point Rotary Club by obtaining keys from local government, and assisting in maintaining their local park.
Safety has long been a great concern in the area, however, the presence of men in lime green vests with the CCID (Cape Central Improvement District) logo cannot go unnoticed. Their main objective is to act as private security and it is funded by residents and local business.. These ’CCIDs’ may perform citizens’ arrests on petty offences and thereafter wait for metro, police or law enforcement to take over. Crime has reduced dramatically since their recruitment, as they effectively serve as a visual deterrent.
Cape Town is the only city in the country that implements a ‘Rent-a-Cop’ system which enables local government to employ fully trained and authorised police, metro, and law enforcement agents. This also creates alternative employment as these officers might otherwise not exist in their current capacity.
Schafer says the party’s future plans will include a Labyrinth for the Urban Park bordering the Stadium – credit to the Rate Payers Association, replacing taxis in the city with a reliable IRT bus system and a R30 million upgrade to the sea wall making use of local experts as far as possible.
Schafer also proudly points out that Green Point Stadium is now under their management (since January) and she is confident that they will run it successfully. In her view, the city should subsidise the stadium as is the trend worldwide, so that it remains affordable to the public. Furthermore there are seven concerts scheduled for this year and talks are underway with WP rugby about compliancy with their standards.
Supernews will be following more positive changes anticipated for the city of Cape Town along the lines of further innovation and service delivery, so watch this space.
Useful links:
JP Smith: //www.jpsmith.co.za/
Green Point Urban Park: //www.capetown.gov.za/en/2010/gallery/Pages/GreenPointUrbanPark.aspx
CCID: //www.capetownpartnership.co.za/ccid/
DA: //www.da.org.za/
Association Of Visual Arts: //www.ava.co.za/docs/docredir.asp
Image 1: Rotary Park Pavillion
Image 2: DA information table 14 May 20111
From left to right: Panyin Blankson, Hilary Osrin, DA candidate: Beverley Schafer, Kakra Blankson