“Can we say you can’t go to the toilet anymore in Mitchell’s Plain?” chair Solomon Philander asked the Sub-council 12 meeting.
City official Elroy de Villiers replied: “I think we can go as far as that, sir.”
They were discussing the potentially “major problem” of the ageing sewerage infrastructure in Tafelsig on Thursday 18 September.
Councillor Norman Adonis told the meeting that another sewage pipe had collapsed in Tafelberg Street, Tafelsig, last month. Before that a pipe had collapsed in Eastridge and it had not yet been fixed.
In August a sewerage pipe had also burst in Oliphantshoek Street, Tafelsig.
Councillor Avron Plaaitjies added that the increasing population, flushing of foreign objects and vandalising of the pump station exacerbated the problem.
Philander concurred. He said: “Mitchell’s Plain is nearly 50 years old and if the infrastructure has not been replaced in these 50 years, we are going to have infrastructure that is collapsing more frequently.”
Philander said that that morning, he had seen sewage pushing up at three places in Tafelsig.
“There’s no poo coming up yet,” he said. “But you can see we are heading to a crisis.”
Tafelsig is currently operating with one less sewage pump station. The station was closed after it was severely vandalised during service delivery protests last month.
De Villiers said that the City had to do frequent “suck and dumps” to manage the blocked pipes and prevent overflows.
“But that is currently all that we can do,” he said. “So Tafelsig is about to have …
Philander interrupted him to ask: “An explosion?”
He replied: “… Major problems.”
Philander suggested that the sub-council table the issue and come up with a plan at the next Activity Day.
50th anniversary
Also on the agenda was Mitchell’s Plain’s 50th anniversary next year.
“Mitchell’s Plain turns 50 in 2026 and we will celebrate our diversity as a community where I believe we have more to give as a community,” Philander said in his address. “Daily we are painted as a gangster community, but the reality is, we are resilient. Out of this community we have great artists, great professionals, rich cultures – die Klopse, die klein Macca — great sportsmen and women, a volunteer spirit in neighbourhood watches and NGOs, across Mitchell’s Plain. The Mitchell’s Plain Music School is here in Mitchell’s Plain, we have a garden, and many rich in culture projects. So let us celebrate.”
Philander also commended the various churches who have held several anti-gang prayer walks.
“Community was in action in the powerful prayer of the local community who united against gang violence. When the church unites – they walked the streets and they were praying for Mitchel’s Plain in their numbers — we want to support these initiatives and encourage them to go to all the areas of Mitchell’s Plain, because we have very many churches and mosques.”
Philander also commended schools in Beacon Valley and Lentegeur for opening wellness hubs.
“We’ve heard of many children who want to commit suicide. We’ve also heard about young people on substances, so the mental health of our youth is becoming concerning. I commend the initiative by Beacon Hill and Lentegeur High to establish wellness hubs, with the aim of supporting pupils’ emotional and social well-being.”
EPWP goes digital
Sub-council 12 also hosted several public engagements last month, including an indigent grant programme on 16 September at the Eastridge Community Centre and Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) outreach with the national department of public works.
Philander said the Minister of Public Works, Dean Macpherson, and representatives from the provincial government and the City of Cape Town took part in the “listening tour to reform EPWP”.
“The minister highlighted that if we want to reform EPWP we need a competent state, a competent municipality, a competent government by making sure that what we are doing is fair and transparent, provides equal opportunities and creates access to better opportunities because it is not only about sweeping the street, but professional people and students also come through the ranks.
“He also highlighted that to reform the EPWP we need to move towards a more digital platform. You can now load your CV on your phone, and your details can be updated.”
Neighbourhood watches also came up on the agenda. Philander said there was a need to engage with neighbourhood watches on their roles and responsibilities.
He said the City issued equipment to neighbourhood watches, including vests and radios, and that an inventory of that equipment was needed.
“If you are no longer a member of the neighbourhood watch then that needs to be transferred to the next one. We don’t expect you to give your sweaters but if there is a torch or a radio or other valuable equipment, those should be transferred to the structure, and we have to make sure that our children, our neighbours, our friends and our husbands do not wear the jackets when they are not on duty because with the crime in Mitchell’s Plain itself, we find perpetrators wear these jackets and they steal, rob and shoot wearing those jackets and we need to eradicate that. So we need a clear audit of what is happening in our areas.”
Traffic “pain”
The sub-council met with joy the news that the “traffic pain” caused by the MyCiti construction would soon be over.
“The red road is about to be constructed in about six or seven months. We can already see the fruits of that. It is looking good,” Philander said.
Plaatjies, whose ward the construction has affected the most, quipped that the road should be named after him.
“I hope they will rename that road after me after all the time that people have been swearing at me, for a road that I did not close on a project that was voted in before I became the councillor.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.