Village Action Group
GORDON’S BAY VILLAGE ACTION GROUP
INTRODUCING MAYOR PATRICIA DE LILLE TO THE HELDERBERG:
Please join us in welcoming the Mayor to Gordon’s Bay and the Helderberg for discussion and lunch at the Yacht Club.
VENUE: Gordon’s Bay Yacht Club
DATE: 12.11.11
TIME: 12 for 12.30pm – 2.30pm
PARKING: Between the Yacht Club and Harbour Lights from 12-2.30 @ standard gate rate of R2.50.
LUNCH TICKETS: R50.00 per person (for those who wish to share lunch with the Mayor.)
To facilitate luncheon arrangements, please phone to book your meal.
For tickets please contact:
Elizabeth Freislich: 082 923 8869
Rika du Toit: 083 733 9917
Barbara Louw: 082 570 1045
GORDON’S BAY VILLAGE ACTION GROUP NEWS LETTER 15.10.11
Dear Members and Friends of the Gordon’s Bay Village Action Group,
It is the time of year when we welcome our Mayor Patricia de Lille to the Olde Village of Gordon’s Bay, Temperence Town and the Greater Helderberg Community.
She will address and answer questions from the community, after, which she will mingle and enjoy lunch with the residents of the Helderberg. Should you have questions for her, please forward these to my email address.
Allow us to report back on the activities of the VAG during the past year.
• This organization was responsible for 2 high profile forensic investigations in the Helderberg, by the City of Cape Town.
• The contentious results of the forensic investigation by the City into the Temperance Town Grave Yard scandal, has yet not been released for public scrutiny.
• The forensic investigation into the Department of Planning and Building Development in the Helderberg Municipality, was finalized around October 2010. Once again the outcome of the forensic has not been released by the City.
• This huge expenditure of public money, gave cause to an ongoing investigation by the office of the Public Protector.
• We pride ourselves that this organization and our residents, by means of proposed Public Participation Processes, have managed to delay numerous unlawful / irregular building developments in Gordon’s Bay.
• Our constant interaction with the various law-enforcement structures, have resulted in the recently inaugurated Metro Police offices at Harmony Park and a Law-Enforcement office in Somerset West.
• By meeting regularly with Metro and SAPS management on an informal basis, we have seen positive strides towards cooperation between the law enforcement structures, which hugely benefit the community. Our representative in the local CPF is Rika du Toit.
• Presently we are interacting with the Metro police structure to clear Gordon’s Bay and the Helderberg of an ever increasing vagrant population. Acting Director Andrew Ball has introduced a regular foot-patrol at night between the yacht harbour and Hendon Park, Gordon’s Bay, which positively resulted in cleaning up the trail and abutting beach area.
• We hope to have a contingency of officers doing foot patrol on our beaches during the festive season. The idea is however to have a” permanent staff contingency” solution to the beach areas all year round.
• We are attempting, together with the Temperance Town CIVIC organization, to obtain ablution facilities in Temperance Town.
• Supervision at our beach ablution facilities, particularly the Milkwood Trail is receiving urgent attention. Johan Middleton is driving both these issues in Sub-Council.
• A number of meetings have been attended by the management of Roads and Storm Water in an attempt to improve the roads in Temperance Town and the Village. Resurfacing of roads in Temperance Town, speed control measures and traffic signs on Beach Road are desperately needed.
• We vociferously support the creation of traffic circles at the intersection of the R44 / Sir Lowry’s Road and in Beach Road in the vicinity of the yacht harbour.
Goals for 2012:
• Through active participation, we hope to promote fair and equitable Zoning Scheme Regulations to serve the residents of Gordon’s Bay and the Helderberg as well as the residents of the City of Cape Town.
• To support and assist the efforts by fellow residents, such as Gavin Smith representative of the Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, in their valiant effort to save the Helderberg from urban sprawl, degradation and decimation of the urban edge and green areas in densely populated areas.
• To investigate and comment on mining rights in Firlands.
• To work closer with other CIVIC organizations in Gordon’s Bay and the Helderberg as well as the Greater Cape Town City Alliance, to improve peace of place for every resident of our scenic Helderberg.
I hereby wish to thank my committee members for their support throughout this year. Thanking you for this opportunity to communicate with all our residents,
Barbara Louw, (spokesperson)Barbara@villa-sunsetbeach.co.za.
The Executive Committee of the Gordon’s Bay Village Action Group.
These comments just found (08/08/11) on www.hellopeter.com:
The actions of the Gordon's Bay Village Action Group as civic leaders is exemplary. A wonderful dedicated group of volunteers who apply to the task their considerable experience and expertise, at their own expense and in their own time, which can only be viewed as an asset to Gordon’s Bay.
They do this without any motivation of self enrichment or benefit, clearly an activity that benefits the town of Gordon’s Bay enormously, especially against the avaricious nature of some, who at the cost of the natural, heritage and sense of place will rather see the area despoiled by glass and concrete.
Many people will know that some building applications are for structures that would be illegal. Some buildings are deliberately built not to conform to their plans and are later artificially made “legal“ through rider plans. It is frequently only the volunteer civics who do the city’s job and prevent bad decisions and illegal structures by pointing these out. No matter how minor these infringements might seem to the proponent, the dumbing down of governance and oversight, is not the answer as this is well known to be the thin edge of a wedge.
GORDON’S BAY VILLAGE ACTION GROUP
All residents from Gordon’s Bay and the Helderberg are invited to attend a meeting at which civil society will hold the City to account. We, the rate payers, had to foot the excessive bills for 2 forensic investigations into municipal irregularities in the Helderberg. Now we, the rate payers, demand insight into the outcomes of these investigations.
• The forensic investigation into irregularities in the Building and Planning section of the Helderberg Municipality:
Councillor Marian Nieuwoudt will address us apropos the outcome of the investigation and what the City intends doing about it.
• The progress and outcome of the forensic investigation into the Temperance Town Grave Yard, Gordon’s Bay:
Alderman Brain Watkyns or a representative will be addressing us in this repect.
• The Police Plan for the festive AND post festive season for the Helderberg:
Wayne le Roux Acting Chief of Metro Police to address us and answer your questions
VENUE: THE YACHT CLUB, GORDON’S BAY
DATE: 13 December 2010. TIME: 6.30pm.