Cape Town residents like these in Rylands (ward 48) complain about the poor state of neighbourhood parks: city neglect, unmaintained, rubbish strewn, vagrancy, drug taking and prostitution. (The ward councillor is two-term Magedien Davids[1]. Christa Liebenberg is sub-council manager.)
The city doesn’t maintain parks – the build and forget approach – or enforce infringements. It's left to residents to deal with the consequences of deteriorating amenities – the “broken window” problem.
In the meantime, often in the same wards, the city is upgrading isolated parks. What they mean by that is not always clear but usually it’s adding or refurbishing play equipment and pathways.
During a site visit to Colorado Park in Mitchell’s Plain mayco for community services Zahid Badroodien said the city “hears the community’s concerns”. He spoke of the importance of communication with affected communities and role of ward committees in the upgrades
However, these are hollow words intended for the media only. As I wrote this past month, the city ignores residents and their concerns, consults only with politically motivated cliques and pushes through developments without public participation whether they’re wanted or not. The upgrade mania is political in time for next year’s local elections.
In the area I live there are eleven parks, one opposite our house and others varying from a couple of minutes to ten minutes walking distance away. Ours is in a fair condition, not because the city maintains it, but it is little used and spared Rylands' problems. Two parks, one a sports field, are good to poor.
I’m obtaining legal advice.
The city doesn’t maintain parks – the build and forget approach – or enforce infringements. It's left to residents to deal with the consequences of deteriorating amenities – the “broken window” problem.
In the meantime, often in the same wards, the city is upgrading isolated parks. What they mean by that is not always clear but usually it’s adding or refurbishing play equipment and pathways.
During a site visit to Colorado Park in Mitchell’s Plain mayco for community services Zahid Badroodien said the city “hears the community’s concerns”. He spoke of the importance of communication with affected communities and role of ward committees in the upgrades
However, these are hollow words intended for the media only. As I wrote this past month, the city ignores residents and their concerns, consults only with politically motivated cliques and pushes through developments without public participation whether they’re wanted or not. The upgrade mania is political in time for next year’s local elections.
In the area I live there are eleven parks, one opposite our house and others varying from a couple of minutes to ten minutes walking distance away. Ours is in a fair condition, not because the city maintains it, but it is little used and spared Rylands' problems. Two parks, one a sports field, are good to poor.
The remaining eight parks are in a poor state, neglected and unmaintained. Two were neglected to ruin and are no longer fit for recreation, one little more than a dumpsite where vagrants often loiter. All, except the two that are in god condition, are seldom to never used.
Despite the overall poor state of parks, the city is spending tens, hundreds, and with our park, a few million rand on developments and facilities that’s not needed or wanted by the 99% majority of residents.
Contrary to what Badroodien says, they don’t consult residents. Co-opting unrepresentative groups who have no mandate, the ward councillor, probably to obtain their endorsement for the DA in 2021’s elections, force the projects through.
Badroodien said there’s not always good communication between the executive and wards, but he’s disingenuous because he and executive did nothing when I informed them of irregularities in the process of our park’s developments.
Contrary to what Badroodien says, they don’t consult residents. Co-opting unrepresentative groups who have no mandate, the ward councillor, probably to obtain their endorsement for the DA in 2021’s elections, force the projects through.
Badroodien said there’s not always good communication between the executive and wards, but he’s disingenuous because he and executive did nothing when I informed them of irregularities in the process of our park’s developments.
Two weeks ago Mayor Dan Plato’s executive assistant Jennifer Geduld told me that at a public meeting, which residents were not aware of, likewise with a petition in favour of the park the resident group's leader circulated (its members don't live in the immediate area), the proposals for our park were presented and “approved”. The fact is the decision had already been made a year ago and a contractor was waiting to start the first phase which was completed two weeks ago.
I’m obtaining legal advice.
Footnotes
A few residents of ward 48 have complained to me Magedien Davids is indifferent to the community's concerns. It's unknown if this is typical or isolated, though. But this is the standard of local, and DA, government. Into his second term, he appears a lame duck, letting others set the agenda and preferring to remain in the background, out of controversy. A couple of years ago he was off work for about six months after major heart surgery. Then, and at other times, his assistant, who may have exceeded his authority at times, ran the office.
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