By-election response
What can a Ward Councillor do to help resolve problems in our area?
The by-election on 8 July 2009 presented an opportunity to alert the two candidates standing for the position of Ward Councillor of the concerns and issues that have plagued our area for too long. This is not to say that previous Ward Councillors have not tried to engage and resolve our issues but the political dynamics of 2009 after the general election have put a greater emphasis on service delivery.
The CRA has thus taken advantage of the situation to create awareness and to seek actively real solutions. An ongoing problem area has been the Braamfontein Spruit which raises issues from, what is the Council's policy to deal with homeless people, to what amentities can we reasonably expect to have put in place.
The position document presented to both candidates follows. A link to the responses from the ANC and the DA candidates follows thereafter.
Reclaim the river – proposed Craigpark Residents’ Association project 2007
[Updated and amended June 2009]
This amended document is being submitted to the two candidates standing in the Ward 90 by-election. The CRA is requesting the candidates to come up with concrete, sustainable recommendations on how the river area can be improved and the problems outlined below best resolved. Which City departments would they involve? Which specialists would be consulted? What resource /financial assistance could be allocated? We are looking for delivery solutions that cut across party political lines and which will empower and enable the CRA to play an effective role, not only for its members but for the good of the City as a whole.
We have chosen this project among many that the CRA would like to undertake but are hampered by a lack of capacity and resources – we are, after all, only a body of volunteers and are almost totally reliant on voluntary membership subscriptions. This project has a scope beyond our area, it raises several pressing socio-political issues, there are no particular vested interest issues, it’s a good example of unlocking potential and creating a platform for effective communication and delivery between all stakeholders. And we have 2010 looming…
The leads and clues are all here. The candidates are asked to submit their response to the CRA by 13:00 on Monday 6 June so that the CRA has sufficient time to inform its constituency prior to the by-election.
|
J
|
ohannesburg is one of the few large cities globally that did not develop around a major river. While the Braamfontein spruit and related river systems may not be of the same size as, for instance, the Thames, nonetheless this river system should – and could – be a major social and recreational facility for the City. (To see one view of a former dam facility, see the CRA web site.)
The City has relatively few amenities for cycling, dog walking, birding and equestrian activities. It also markets itself as ‘A world class African city’ with the world’s largest man-made forest, yet here is a significant portion of open space that is neglected, abused and in many areas, unsightly.
“Unmanaged waste has a spillover negative effect in other areas. There is a demonstrable relationship between grime and crime. Correspondingly, efforts to remove unsightly waste restores dignity to the inhabitants and users of an area, and conveys to all a public expectation to abide by a set of common norms of conduct. Stricter by-law enforcement on issues such as littering publicly communicates a zero-tolerance approach to all infringements of the law that eventually translates into lower crime levels.” [Acknowledgment to Neil Fraser, Urban Planning consultant to the City of Johannesburg]
About the spruit
The Braamfontein Spruit rises in Hillbrow, as a spring. It flows northwards and is joined by the Montgomery and Westdene Spruits below Emmarentia Dam. It continues on its way through Victory Park, Parkhurst, Craighall Park, Craighall, Glenadrienne and Bryanston joining the Klein Jukskei in Sunninghill. Together they join the Jukskei at Leeukop and continue to the Crocodile River which flows into Hartebeestpoort Dam.
About Delta Park
This was originally one of 4 sewage farms developed in the 1930s. When the sewage works were closed in 1963 the buildings lay unused for 10 years when they were developed into an Environmental Centre thanks to benefactors such as the Bloom family.
The Delta is the largest of the parks in Joburg and is 104 hectares in extent. The park is a bird lovers’ paradise with over 200 species being recorded here. [See list on CRA website.]
Delta Park area in Craighall/Craighall Park
Adjacent to the river in Craighall Park, apart from a number of homes, are a townhouse complex, Craigtowne, the REEA (care centre for epileptic sufferers), Colourful Splendour nursery, the Egoli River Rangers, the Craighall Park Scout hall and, at Conrad Ave Bridge, a conference and office centre, Hacklebrook. Beyond the bridge are some small office blocks and blocks of flats and the Old Parktonian Sports Club. Much of this land is owned by the municipality.
What are the current problems?
1. The number of homeless people living there
The numbers appear to increase substantially every time there is a CBD eviction, with the inevitable increase in environmental degradation. This includes a great deal of human waste, litter and the cutting down of trees for firewood. We believe that the position has worsened with the influx of refugees from Zimbabwe.
Raw sewage in a river in an urban area is not acceptable.
There are ongoing reported incidents of robbery, assault etc and earlier in 2009 a body was found buried near the river. While some of the homeless people may otherwise be law-abiding, there is no doubt that a criminal element uses the area to hide themselves and stolen goods and deal in drugs. Recreational users have commented on the often hostile and aggressive attitudes of the vagrants.
2. No effective overseeing body
Given that the Braamfontein Spruit runs through a number of City Wards, an important requirement is for an overseeing body. If this is the role played by City Parks, our view is that it could be substantially improved. The Braamfontein Spruit Forum was established over five years ago but, as far as we can see, is moribund and thus ineffective.
Flooding of homes and sewage spills have been reported to a number of City departments but we are not aware of any progress made to resolve the underlying problem and infrastructural issues, nor of effective communication between the various departments concerned, let alone with civic associations such as the CRA.
3. Insufficient maintenance by City Parks
Litter is a significant problem. It is aggravated by the fact that there are no litter traps and therefore much of the waste from storm drains is deposited in to the river. Pollution by business and building activity has been often reported but continues, so we assume that basically very little has been done.
Mowing of the area now occurs more regularly than it did for many years – but then we’ve had a CRA exec member who has constantly asked for this to be done. This has also entailed requesting City Power to maintain its area around the pylons. As a civic organisation, we are fed up that we have to do the running around and imploring different departments to communicate with each other and get the job done.
In fairness, parts of the river banks are not easily accessible for Parks employees: this includes some homeowners fencing off their area – understandable with crime incidents in the vicinity – but this does not provide a long term sustainable solution.
4. Lack of knowledge and enforcement of the City by-laws
Illegal dumping and littering are major problems. We don’t want builders’ rubble in or near our river.
5. Lack of amenities
These range from tables, benches and litter bins, to proper cycling paths and separate paths for walkers. Amenities that do exist such as the public toilets and bird hides have been for many years “no-go” areas as they were taken over by the homeless people. Users also comment that the Environmental Centre is ugly and under-utilised.
6. Lack of interest from community at large
While residents in the vicinity do what they can, businesses/offices seem unwilling to engage in any way. A case in point is Hacklebrook Conference Centre. Their perimeter fencing actually prevents any pedestrian access from the Conrad Avenue bridge to walk along that side of the river. Some time ago we queried this and were informed that the Centre’s land extends to the middle of the river. With a change of ownership, the CRA has not had the time and resources to continue to follow up on this matter and to check on the facts.
What are the possible solutions?
The CRA has numerous ideas… Should eg one or more of the original dams be resurrected? Desirability of litter traps? Revamp the Environment Centre – use it for functions – work towards it becoming self sustainable.
What about the Scout Halls in Craighall Park and Bordeaux? Just how well used are these amenities – has the City made any effort to see if the lease is justified? If it is, why don’t more Cubs/Scouts participate in community environmental projects? [We note that the Scout Hall in Craighall has not been used by the Scouts for over 13 years – this is a separate issue.] Has there been any plan to plant indigenous trees? Can the City not link with NGOs – eg Food & Trees for Africa which is involved in the Mayor’s ‘Greening of Soweto’ project – that’s a great concept but why isn’t it city-wide?
Over to our two candidates, one of whom will be entrusted with the well-being of our area.
Response from ANC candidate; response from DA candidate.
