Councillors outline plans for 2021

Ward councillors in the greater Constantia area have outlined their plans for 2021.

Halfway through the City’s financial year, some still have hefty portions of their R1million ward budgets unspent.

Ward 62 councillor Liz Brunette says she worked through recess and spent the past weekend informing the community about a burst water pipe in the Alphen greenbelt and responding to emails from residents.

Her ward projects include the upgrade of roads, a literacy programme, improvements to parks, CCTV cameras, maintenance on the Constantia greenbelts, a holiday programme for children living at Gabriel Estate in Plumstead and a law enforcement officer for Wynberg.

Wynberg Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme (MURP) projects up for completion this financial year include a bullnose on the corner of Egham Road and Lower Church Street to funnel vehicles into Egham and Wetton roads; and setting up food trucks on outside Maynardville Park.

Ms Brunette said the Wynberg Improvement District’s installation of CCTV cameras had led to arrests.

Ward 71 councillor Penny East said most of her ward’s projects over the past year had been completed.

Just over half of the R100 000 allocated for some of the 17 parks in the ward had been used for new play equipment, benches and child-friendly surfaces, she said. “Even though parks are closed to the public at present we must continue to mow and maintain the equipment,” she added.

The R100 000 Tokai library upgrade was on hold and would be reassessed in the adjustment budget. Almost all of the R50 000 allocated for educational programmes to get the youth to make more use of the library had been used as had the R100 000 for library media and materials.

“And there are lots of lovely books and things waiting for the library to be fully operational again,” said Ms East.

Also on hold and up for reassessment in the adjustment budget, she said, was the R275 000 allocated for upgrades to roads and pavements. And R30 000 for the seniors’ programme was on hold because of Covid-19.

Almost 80% of the R60 000 for the youth programme and 40% of the R285 000 for the law enforcement programme had been used, she said.

Ward 73 councillor Carol Bew did not respond in time for this edition, but Sub-council 20 chairman Ian Iversen said he would be asking councillors at this week’ sub-council meeting to submit five suburban roads in their wards that needed repainting work.

Mr Iversen said there were many abandoned buildings in the city that accumulated rates and charges in excess of the property’s value.

“The municipality is going to take two test cases to the high court to ask for the court to give guidance on the way forward,” he said. “Maybe the courts will decide that these properties be transferred into the ownership of the municipality who could then clear the site and auction off the land. But the bottom line is that we have no idea when the case will be heard and what the outcome will be.”

Mr Iversen said he would also ask councillor to follow up on projects where funds had yet to be spent.