Ageing sewer pipes are battling to cope with new developments along Claremont Main Road, says the non-profit company responsible for providing top-up municipal services in the area.
The Claremont Improvement District Company (CIDC) says it had to attend to 27 sewer blockages in the parts of Claremont it manages and many of them were in Claremont Main Road.
“Claremont Main Road was the chief area logged for these blockages. We suggest that after proper investigation, there is a need for the upgrade and replacement of ageing sewerage pipes, which have not coped with the attendant new linkages from developments along Main Road,” said Abdul Kerbelker, the CIDC’s executive manager, at its annual general meeting on Thursday November 10.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, deputy mayor Eddie Andrews and ward councillor Mikhail Manuel attended the meeting at the Southern Sun hotel in Newlands, along with about 50 residents and representatives from the Claremont police.
Mr Hill-Lewis said functioning infrastructure was critical for the growth of any CBD, but Cape Town’s was under pressure because 108 000 people came to the city this year alone and it could be as many as 1.5 million in ten years.
“Cape Town has been a magnet for people to come here, though we need functioning infrastructure, below ground, above ground, improvement of roads, electricity water and sanitation.”
The City’s infrastructure budget would grow from R6.5 billion this year to R10.9 billion next year and would be approaching R15 billion the year after that, he said.
Mr Kerbelker said that despite the efforts of organisations such as U-Turn and the Haven Night Shelter, homelessness remained a problem, with substance abuse leading to violence among the homeless.
Mr Hill-Lewis said no homeless person could be removed from a tent or makeshift structure without an eviction order from the high court.
He said the City had budgeted R155 million on alternative accommodation for the homeless, and its Safe Space shelter programme – with facilities in the City Bowl, Parklands and Muizenberg – offered them meals, drug rehab and psychiatric treatment. An additional facility was being set up in Green Point to accommodate up to 350 people.
“We go to the court and we inform them that we have given them all opportunities to get help, then we obtain a court order to compel that person to relocate to a Safe Space,” Mr Hill-Lewis said.
Claremont police station commander Colonel Maree Louw said they had a good working relationship with the CIDC.
“We want to work towards keeping Claremont free of criminals and want to ensure that Claremont has safe public spaces for every community member,” said said.
CIDC chairman David Stoll, executive manager Abdul Kerbelker and directors Faizah Behardien, Gavin Hiscock, Ielhaam Abrahams, Gregg Huntingford and Mike Nixon were all unanimously re-elected.
