25 Feb 2009
18 Feb 2009
illegal posters
Cape Town comes unstuck
Extract from article by Toyah Lord
Extract from article by Toyah Lord
NIGHTCLUBS in Cape Town are in for a rude awakening: the City of Cape Town will soon serve notices on club owners who paste posters on private properties in the city centre without consent.
The Central City Improvement District (CCID) – which says the problem has been going on for years – says it is being inundated with complaints from property owners in Cape Town, who say they “have had enough” of clubs and bars sticking illegal posters on buildings.
The result, says Tasso Evangelinos, CCID chief executive officer, is that cleaning teams have to go out and scrape the posters off the buildings, thus causing damage to their exteriors. This in labour alone costs the CCID between R2 500 and R3 000 a month to deploy people on the streets every second or third day to remove posters throughout the city centre, adds Evangelinos.
Derek Bock of Eurocape says many of the property development company’s buildings have long suffered the sticky problem. “We find it totally unacceptable and a disgrace that clubs and bars paste illegal posters on private property,” he says. “Will these clubs and bars now pay for the costs incurred by Eurocape to repeatedly remove these illegal posters?”
10 Feb 2009
To let
"The City of Cape Town’s major programme to install and upgrade services in informal settlements is being destroyed by crime and vandalism. For every R3 that we spend on basic services in our 222 informal settlements, R2 is spent on repairs to vandalised and stolen infrastructure. Without this problem, we could deliver services at three times the speed we currently do.
Thieves and vandals have struck a large number of upgrade projects and have robbed local residents of water and sanitation. "
Thieves and vandals have struck a large number of upgrade projects and have robbed local residents of water and sanitation. "
Extract from a statement by Helen Zille, Executive Mayor of Cape Town
"Vandalism and theft of service infrastructure in informal settlements"
"Vandalism and theft of service infrastructure in informal settlements"
9 Feb 2009
4 Feb 2009
27 Jan 2009
negative impact
editorial cartoon People's Post 27/01/08CITY OF CAPE TOWN
MEDIA RELEASE
23 JANUARY 2009
Clarity on proposals in City’s Draft By-law on Liquor Trading Days and Hours
Reports that the City of Cape Town is proposing (in its Draft Liquor Trading Hours By-law) to give permission to liquor stores to open on Sundays are incorrect.
The only new addition to existing liquor sales allowed on Sundays that is proposed in the draft by-law is for supermarkets to sell wine on Sundays. This proposal is in line with the Western Cape Liquor Act, 2008 (Act No.4 of 2008), recently passed by the Western Cape Provincial Government.
However, if public comment calls for the City to continue to restrict the sale of wine from supermarkets on Sundays, the City does have the jurisdiction (in terms of the Constitution) to curb this in areas within the metro region.
Submission of comments:
We invite the public to provide us with their formal comments on or before 27 February 2009 to fax number: 021 400 1465, e-mailed to: liquor.bylaw@capetown.gov.za, or sub-council offices. For enquiries please call 021 400 1450.
Copies of the draft by-law are available at all sub-council offices and libraries, as well as on the
City of Cape Town’s website: www.capetown.gov.za
20 Jan 2009
13 Jan 2009
29 Dec 2008
16 Dec 2008
9 Dec 2008
2 Dec 2008
the right drugs
Testing device to nail drugged drivers on the spot Editorial cartoon for the People's Post
adri-ann peters
adri-ann peters
SOUTH AFRICA’s first mobile drug-testing device, which was launched last week, has been tasked with identifying drugged-up drivers abusing the roads.
The DrugAlyzer DrugWipe device, which is used internationally, was revealed to South Africans on Tuesday as a prelude to its use by the Western Cape Department of Community Safety.
Cheryl Roberts, spokesperson for Community Safety MEC Patrick McKenzie, could not confirm when exactly the department’s two drug testers, worth R25 000 each, would be put to work on regional roads.
But, at the launch event in Voortrekker Road, Salt River, McKenzie confirmed that authorities would make use of the devices at roadblocks during the department’s Safer Summer Season programme, which kicks off this month.
The drug testing device – a product of Trimega Diagnostics, a South African-based company that specialises in the procurement and development of diagnostic testing devices – will be used to determine whether or not a driver has used drugs. The instrument does this by testing a sample of the person’s saliva or sweat for the presence of various narcotic substances.
The test can be performed in less than six minutes. Should the candidate’s driving be hampered and his or her test prove positive, their blood can in future be sent for sampling, and the result presented as evidence in court.
Drugs detectable by the device include dagga, tik, cocaine, and numerous opiates.
Trimega Diagnostics, together with the department, carried out 22 research roadblocks across the country between April and November this year. Tests showed that 28% of those who took alcohol breath tests failed, and 14% of those who took drug tests also showed high blood-alcohol levels.
Of the candidates who tested positive for alcohol, 19% also tested positive for drugs, read the research report presented by the company.
Superintendent Pierre van der Riel, station commissioner of the Woodstock Police Station, highlighted drug testing as one of the challenges of policing. He said procedures currently in place rely mainly on the testimony of police officers, who must personally testify that a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs had not been in full control of their vehicle while on the road.
Van der Riel said doing so is “not always easy”. The driver suspected of the crime would typically be taken to the nearest doctor to be tested. Van der Riel welcomed any tool that could assist officers in putting drugged drivers behind bars.
With the country heading towards the festive season, McKenzie said that hundreds of roadblocks are planned for the next few months. “We are aware of a significant number of accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol, and although no official figures exist, drugged motorists are also guilty,” he said at the launch.
While the Department of Justice and the Director of Public Prosecutions work towards adopting appropriate legislation to formally incorporate the use of the drug-testing device, its use will in the meantime help the department determine the extent of drugged driving in the province, and raise awareness of the wrongs of driving under the influence of drugs.
According to a comprehensive privately-funded report prepared by Trimega Diagnostics to accompany the launch, the current National Road Traffic Act of 1996 does not permit, among other things, equipment to be used to screen for drug-use on South African roads . Another section of the act also informs that a person may not refuse a blood or breath test to determine their alcohol intake. “Unfortunately this does not apply to any other type of test, e.g. a saliva or urine test,” the report continues.
Meanwhile, the department warns that motorists found to be “visibly affected by drugs” to the detriment of their driving will in the meanwhile be prosecuted on the basis of impaired driving, Roberts said. Should the test result prove that a candidate has administered an illegal substance, but driving has not necessarily been negatively affected, the person will be engaged on the dangers of drug use so that awareness can be raised around the issue.
25 Nov 2008
20 Nov 2008
18 Nov 2008
money pit
Chapman's Peak remains closed after more than three months while
South Peninsula residents remain the victims of an inadequate road system, in part because the Chapman's Peak concessionaire apparently have no incentive to open the road as government guarantees to cover operational, managerial and contingent costs.
South Peninsula residents remain the victims of an inadequate road system, in part because the Chapman's Peak concessionaire apparently have no incentive to open the road as government guarantees to cover operational, managerial and contingent costs.
Editorial cartoon for the People's Post 18th November 2008
12 Nov 2008
11 Nov 2008
ridding us of drugs
editorial cartoon for The People's Post 11th November 2008
High expectations set for anti-gang project
GANGS will be a thing of the past if a recent programme launched by the Department of Community Safety achieves its goals – but community organisations say success is unlikely.
The aim of the project is to reduce opportunities for gang expansion, offer “alternative options” to affected communities, and prevent and reduce the factors that drive young people into gangs.
According to Community Safety MEC Patrick McKenzie, what makes the programme unique is that various departments will “work holistically” to do effectively what “many never could achieve”.
“Instead of each separate sector working on its own, we think that by joining forces, this project will reach its full potential. It will be a partnership between the police, national intelligence, the national prosecuting authority, Metro Police and the South African Revenue Services, which will work towards combating the scourge of gangsterism, as well as bring high fliers to book.”
GANGS will be a thing of the past if a recent programme launched by the Department of Community Safety achieves its goals – but community organisations say success is unlikely.
The aim of the project is to reduce opportunities for gang expansion, offer “alternative options” to affected communities, and prevent and reduce the factors that drive young people into gangs.
According to Community Safety MEC Patrick McKenzie, what makes the programme unique is that various departments will “work holistically” to do effectively what “many never could achieve”.
“Instead of each separate sector working on its own, we think that by joining forces, this project will reach its full potential. It will be a partnership between the police, national intelligence, the national prosecuting authority, Metro Police and the South African Revenue Services, which will work towards combating the scourge of gangsterism, as well as bring high fliers to book.”
Extract from article by Tammy Petersen of The People's Post
7 Nov 2008
5 Nov 2008
voter registration
Make sure you are registered to vote
Those eligible to vote in 2009 for the first time, persons who did not register in the past and people newly moved into the area, should register now.Extract from a letter from ANC Cissie Gool Branch Ward 59
Editorial cartoon for The People's Post
30 Oct 2008
28 Oct 2008
All roads lead to 2010
PROJECTS worth billions of rands are currently steaming ahead to ensure that residents and visitors can travel to their destinations safely and effectively during the time of the Soccer World Cup in 2010.
Projects include improvements to Cape Town International Airport, stations and highways in the Cape metropole and outlying areas, new bus services, and better facilities and routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
In Cape Town itself, work is under way to ensure that thousands of soccer supporters and revellers can move safely on foot and bicycle from the Cape Town Station and the viewing site on the Parade to the Waterfront and new Green Point Stadium.
Various streets will be closed to traffic, while limited pedestrian traffic will be permitted on others. One of the streets in which only limited vehicle traffic will be permitted is Waterkant Street.
This street is not only being jazzed up with trees, but will also be transformed into a cyclist and pedestrian route that will be linked to Somerset Way with a bridge and controlled crossing over Buitengracht Road.
A three-metre-wide cyclist lane, as well as a three-metre-wide pedestrian path, will be developed along Somerset Way to Three Anchor Bay so that spectators and residents can reach the stadium safely. Also under development are a second cyclist and pedestrian route from the station over North Wharf Square, Coen Steytler Avenue; a cyclist and pedestrian bridge over the inbound lanes of Buitengracht, and a controlled ground-level crossing over the outbound lanes of Buitengracht to the Waterfront and ultimately the stadium.
Projects include improvements to Cape Town International Airport, stations and highways in the Cape metropole and outlying areas, new bus services, and better facilities and routes for pedestrians and cyclists.
In Cape Town itself, work is under way to ensure that thousands of soccer supporters and revellers can move safely on foot and bicycle from the Cape Town Station and the viewing site on the Parade to the Waterfront and new Green Point Stadium.
Various streets will be closed to traffic, while limited pedestrian traffic will be permitted on others. One of the streets in which only limited vehicle traffic will be permitted is Waterkant Street.
This street is not only being jazzed up with trees, but will also be transformed into a cyclist and pedestrian route that will be linked to Somerset Way with a bridge and controlled crossing over Buitengracht Road.
A three-metre-wide cyclist lane, as well as a three-metre-wide pedestrian path, will be developed along Somerset Way to Three Anchor Bay so that spectators and residents can reach the stadium safely. Also under development are a second cyclist and pedestrian route from the station over North Wharf Square, Coen Steytler Avenue; a cyclist and pedestrian bridge over the inbound lanes of Buitengracht, and a controlled ground-level crossing over the outbound lanes of Buitengracht to the Waterfront and ultimately the stadium.
THEUNS VAN DER WESTHUIZEN People's Post 28th October 2008
21 Oct 2008
14 Oct 2008
no limit
Editorial cartoon for The People's Post 14th October 2008
Draft Animal Bylaw: more bark than bite?
THERE seems to be a great deal of confusion around this bylaw [the draft Animal Bylaw]. Who drafted it? Why? And what does the process of public participation involve?
Bylaws in the city arise out of policy discussions in multi-party portfolio committees. The mayor has nothing to do with their formulation until the bylaw reaches the mayoral committee and full council after the public participation process.
The City of Cape Town is an amalgamation of seven former separate local authorities, each of which had its own animal bylaw. There were also still three animal bylaws from the former municipal councils dating back to 1964. It is impossible to administer ten different bylaws across the city. As a result, there must be one consolidated bylaw. This bylaw is the first draft to achieve this outcome.
The proposed limit on the number of pets per property is also nothing new. Each of the previous bylaws limited the number of dogs and cats per property (in common with similar legislation across the world). Nine of the existing bylaws set the limit of dogs and cats per property at two of each. Only the old Cape Town administration dog bylaw allowed for three of each.
The portfolio committee, with the full support of all parties, proposed the “two-dogs-two-cats” limitation for the consolidated single draft bylaw for Cape Town.
There is no truth in the rumours that people will be required to “put down” their pets. Furthermore, if anyone wants to own more than two dogs and two cats, they will be able to apply for a permit to do so. If they meet the criteria, designed in part for the welfare of the animals concerned, they will be able to own more dogs and cats.
Public participation is an important part of the process of passing all bylaws, including the draft Animal Bylaw. The public participation phase began in June already. Four months of public input have been allowed, in addition to a workshop through the City Wide Forum, and the emailing of the bylaw to over 70 animal welfare organisations and animal activists. They had contacted the city before then, indicating their interest in the matter. This is in addition to numerous press releases and newspaper ads.
The bylaw was also referred to over 1 000 community organisations through all the ward forums, as well as to the subcouncils for comment.
For members of the public who would like to submit comment, a copy of the draft bylaw is available on the city’s website at the following address: http://www.capetown.gov.za/en/ByLaws/Pages/Draft_by-laws.aspx. Within the next few days it will be available in hard copy at city libraries and subcouncil offices.
The public can submit their comments or proposed amendments to the draft bylaw by writing to Mr Richard Bosman at Private Bag X4, Parow, 7499 – or via email to richard.bosman@capetown.gov.za – by Thursday 30 October.
Everyone has rights in a city, and legislation involves a careful balancing of competing rights. This is what we are trying to get right in this case.
Robert Macdonald
Spokesperson for the mayor of Cape Town
8 Oct 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)