A call for action in Lavender Hill

Clive Jacobs, Lavender Hill

Time moves swiftly and truly waits for no one. Entering 2026 has not been easy - almost as challenging as the end of 2025.

As a community activist, one often becomes, and at times feels, responsible for the negativity that surfaces within our communities. There are moments when the weight of what our people experience daily rests heavily on our shoulders.

One issue that stood out to me and urgently requires attention is the lack of service delivery and responsiveness from government departments. Whether it is emergency services, SAPS and other law enforcement agencies, or water and electrical services, responses are slow, and communities are met with excuses rather than solutions.

This has been particularly disheartening, as I personally dealt with several C3 (City of Cape Town's electronic system) notifications during this period. In addition, community activists and leadership structures should be equipped with resources or financial assistance to ensure that our children’s holiday programmes continue until the very end, before they return to school.

The City of Cape Town previously ran “Come and Play” programmes, but these have since been discontinued. Where such initiatives do exist, they are largely limited to more affluent communities with a strong law enforcement presence. In Lavender Hill, there is nothing of this nature. Officers seldom exit their vehicles to engage with our children or share safety guidance; instead, our children are expected to make way for speeding police vehicles.

Our communities have been unsafe wherever one turns. Yet, above all, we were sustained by grace. The Lavender Hill community experienced no child fatalities, and it is a source of immense pride that our learners will return to school in 2026 with confidence.

As an activist, criticism sometimes comes strongly, but I see myself as a community challenger - no longer a pushover. I love our communities deeply and remain committed to advocating for meaningful change.

To organisations that speak loudly but fail to deliver: you receive significant foreign aid yet choose selectively where to intervene. The pain and suffering are on your doorstep. Your responsibility lies where you walk in.

We must restore the joy of what was once a vibrant and sporty community. Lavender Hill, Greater Retreat, and Steenberg will not be the responsibility of one individual alone; it will require collective effort. By being the change we seek, our children will be prioritised and genuinely cared for.

Our after-school care programme urgently requires support for the first month and sustained assistance thereafter. If you are in a position to contribute, I appeal to you to dig deep and support this initiative.

Contact me at  071 576 1876 or email: clivejacobs1968@gmail.com

Theresa Uys, the City’s Mayoral committee member for corporate services, responded: “Thank you for raising these concerns. We acknowledge the frustration caused by delays in service delivery and responsiveness. However, it is difficult to make a proper assessment without specific reference numbers for the C3 notifications mentioned. Reference numbers allow us to track the exact cases and verify the actions taken by the relevant departments.

“When C3 requests are logged through the official channels, such as the contact centre (telephone, email, SMS, WhatsApp), customers are provided with a reference number and an estimated timeframe for service delivery. This ensures accountability and enables follow-up.

“In some instances, requests logged via the Fault Reporting system contain insufficient information, which makes it challenging for line departments to act or provide feedback. Without clear details, such as location, nature of the fault, and contact information, these requests cannot be processed effectively.

“We encourage community members and leadership structures to always use the official channels and provide complete information when logging service requests. This will help us respond promptly and ensure that issues are resolved within the stipulated timeframes.

“With regard to after-school care programmes, where holiday programmes for children are identified as a local need, proposals should be submitted to the subcouncil or ward councillor for consideration under the ward allocations budget. This process ensures that funding requests are appropriately assessed and aligned with community priorities.”