SOYISO MALITI
Trading near the taxi rank in Bloekombos was among the items discussed at the Sub-council 7 meeting on Monday, January 18.
A report to grant long-term rights for the use, management and control of the Bloekombos business hives, was tabled at the sub-council meeting.
During his first sub-council meeting, new Ward 101 councillor, Luyanda Mbele, said the report must be referred back to officials and its contents communicated to the community.
Franklyn Raymond, PR councillor on the Environmental and Special Planning portfolio committee, said there was a need to get rid of those who don’t have licences to trade.
Koos Bredenhand, the ANC’s PR councillor on the Planning and General Appeals committee, seconded his colleague, Mr Mbele, saying the officials should meet with the new councillor and brief him on the project, which is more the reason why it should be taken back to the City official responsible for the report on the project.
Carin Brynard, Ward 102 councillor, wanted to know whether some of the traders at the Phase 3 area had been paying rent. A City official said they hadn’t been paying rent. The official added that the City had been getting rent money from vendors at the phases 1 and 2 areas in Bloekombos.
Mr Raymond wanted to know why there was no prosecution of people using water illegally for car washes in Bloekombos.
Mr Mbele also raised concerns about the Bloekombos clinic and its shortage of health services, such as blood testing, and its small capacity.
An official from the City’s health directorate responded by saying the clinic was meant for children, tuberculosis and HIV/Aids patients.
Mr Mbele said: “The clinic takes up to 5 000 patients a month whereas it was built for only 3 000.”
He said space had been identified near the Bloekombos sports field, where a day hospital would be erected.
Gerhard Fourie, Sub-council 7 chairman, noted Mr Mbele’s concerns and said the province will be building the day hospital and that other concerns would be forwarded to the health directorate.
Earlier in the meeting, Mr Fourie had introduced Karen Carstens, of Kraaifontein, to hand over a book she has recently published about her community.
The book, titled The Kraaifontein Stories, contains 300 interviews. Shortly before she visited sub-council that day, she had just started writing her next edition, which she expects to launch in December, about Kraaifontein.
