The greater Goodwood area should be bundled into one ward for improved service delivery, says forms one ward, according to Ward 27 councillor Cecile Janse van Rensburg.
She was speaking during a discussion about ward demarcations were discussed at a Goodwood Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association (GRRA) meeting.
The Municipal Demarcation Board will hold a public meeting at the Cape Town Civic Centre tomorrow, Thursday February 27 and the public have until Thursday April 30 to comment on the proposed new ward boundaries.
The board is marking the boundaries of electoral wards in preparation for the local government elections next year.
The current five-year term of municipal councils expires on August 3 2021.
According to Ms Janse van Rensburg, metropolitan and local municipalities are divided into wards, with each electing one councillor to the municipal council.
As of August 2016 there are 4 392 wards in South Africa, 116 of them in Cape Town.
The 5.7km² Ward 27 has 20 526 registered voters, according to the 2011 census. Prior tos, in 5.7km square. Ms Janse Van Rensburg said prior to 2016, the ward included the greater Goodwood area with Jakes Gerwel Drive, Frans Conradie Drive and Giel Basson Drive being the hard borders.
Post 2016, the ward was broken up resulting in a section of Goodwood falling under Ward 26.
“I believe that it would be in the interest of effective service delivery to accommodate the greater Goodwood in one ward,” said Ms Janse van Resnburg at the meeting.
Additional in the proposed demarcation are Acacia Park and Wingfield. The proposed boundary comprises Goodwood from the N1 to the north, the M7 and Wingfield navy base to the west, the railway line to the south and Vasco and Giel Basson roads to the east.
Ms Janse Van Rensburg said she was concerned that national-government land had been added to the ward because the proposed boundary neighboured the gang-ridden areas of Factreton and Kensington.
She urged residents to voice their concerns during the public participation process.
The 8km² Ward 26 comprises Parow Valley, Beaconvale, Vasco, Richmond, Elsies River, Avon – Beaconvale (Elsies River Industrial, west of De La Rey), Leonsdale and Vrijzee. It has 38 576 registered voters, according to the 2011 census, in an area of 8km square.
Proposed changes include the addition of Parow East and Goodrail and the deletion of Glenlily.
Ward 26 councillor Franchesca Walker did not respond to questions about her ward.
The 27.2km² Ward 1, under councillor Cheryl Visser, comprises Plattekloof, Monte Vista and Richwood and has 26 434 registered voters in an area 27.2km square.
The City annually allocates R1 million to each ward for councillors to use at their discretion and with input from residents’ associations.
Some uses include parks, libraries, CCTV cameras and a law enforcement officer.
Goodwood GRRA chairman Faizel Petersen He is concerned that said he feared a huge portion of budgeted ward allocations would be shared with new areas in the ward if the proposed boundary change went through.
The meeting will be held on Thursday February 27, at 9am, in room 2, 6th floor, Podium, Hertzog Boulevard.