Integrated service delivery is needed in sub-council
Wolfgat Sub-council officials were acknowledged for their dedication and contribution to the City of Cape Town and sub-council for delivering excellent services in the 2023/2024 financial year.
They received certificates at Sub-council 12’s monthly meeting in the Lentegeur chambers on Thursday August 29 after showing a spend of 99.4 percent of the budget by various line departments.
Chairman Solomon Philander said he was proud of the achievement and grateful for its execution which was evident in the development of Mitchell’s Plain.
The meeting coincided with a spate of violent murders in Mitchell’s Plain (“Six youths die in shootings in four days”, Plainsman, August 27) which had Proportional Representation (PR) councillors voice their concerns and appealed to the sub-council to be “more hands on” in crime prevention.
Grant Classen, PR councillor for the African Restoration Alliance (ARA) said: “You know chair my heart is bleeding this morning”.
“We cannot move forward as per norm because the innocent blood that has been shed in our sub-council area, on the floor ,is not something we can just swiftly move past,” he said.
He said these were not gang-related matters but innocent lives, who could have been “our children, neighbours and people that are close to us”.
Mr Classen said the sub-council had been “very good” in administrative issues but they could not move past “the shedding of innocent blood”.
“It affects our safety, our youth, it even affects our services in the areas. It affects our infrastructures, our working class people they can’t work properly in the morning — they have to fend for their safety,” he said.
He wants the councillors to become operational as a sub-council.
“We must use our resources that are available, which are our law enforcement, neighbourhood watch, CPF (community police forum), metros.”
Mr Classen asked whether there was anything more the councillors could do to be more proactive in preventing crime.
“What are we doing as a sub-council? We can’t do anything properly and have those lasting legacies if we have gangsters and gang activities ruining everything in our community,” he said.
Hanif Loonat, PR councillor for the Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) said councillors should set aside their political differences and work together in ensuring the community is kept safe.
Mr Philander said the sub-council has been consistent in seeing how it contributes positively to reduce “our social ills”.
He said they have sent invitations to people to attend meetings and that it is their choice to come. He said the five ward councillors were selected by the people and PR councillors were allocated to represent their political parties in the sub-council.
Mr Philander said they have positive reinforcements in the community through social development, the nature reserve, community services, health, arts and culture. He said ward allocation spoke to councillors looking at their parks, community development, safety issues and handing over neighbourhood watch resources.
Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme (MURP) has directed R1 million to teach high school pupils to share life skills and being of service to their peers.
“As Mitchell’s Plain we have all of the services here — police stations, non-government organisations, a district hospital, clinic, law enforcement and traffic services.
“We need and integrated approach to use these and coordinate them in a manner we see fit,” he said.
• Democratic Alliance (DA) Avron Plaatjies, councillor for Ward 76, including Ikwezi Park, Mandalay and parts of Lentegeur, said mentioned the Mitchell's Plain Youth Cup happening at Lentegeur Sportsfield on Saturday October 12 and Sunday October 13 from 9am until 6pm. Sixteen16 local clubs will be participating in this inaugural event which is set to be a game-changer for youth development in the area.