As previously stated we attempted to cleanse every street within the Blackheath CID Area in January and succeeded in doing so.  Please report any specific issues to us for immediate attention from the CID Cleansing team on 021 905 0929 who respond to matters immediately under the stewardship of Jacobus Rossouw.

In addition to this we mowed verges along Wimbledon, Range, School and Buttskop Roads, tended to weeds along these routes and dealt with alien vegetation along the main routes.  We also watered all the Acacea Trees throughout the area, whilst tending to those that needed a bit of TLC due to whatever reason.  We irrigate with compost to ensure health and good growth during the summer months.

Verges before and after cleaning

Verges before and after cleaning

We tended to the verge outside of Continental China, removing reeds and mowing the verge. We are in discussion with the City to undertake the scheduled mowing of this area, but due to budgetary constraints, we need to assist still in this area.

Illegal Dumping and Littering
We appeal to everyone in Blackheath to prevent littering. The BCID team collected 250 refuse bags of litter from the road verges this month of which 90 bags were used for clearing the road verges from weeds and grass and 160 bags for picking up litter along the road side.  This is an indication that we face a massive challenge here!

We further call on every one to call the BCID security vehicle when spotting a suspicious vehicle that may be dumping building material or garden refuse or even tyres as this has been a serious problem during January. The 24h ST3 Security Patrol vehicle can be contacted on 021-905 3399 or 079 274 9841 /on the BCID emergency no:  0860 00 BCID!

 

Nicole Avenue before and after cleaning

Trafford Road Before and after cleaning

Trafford Road Before and after cleaning

Don’t forget the BCID emergency number on 086 000 BCID for all Security related emergencies.  Call Law enforcement on 107 from the Landline or 021 596 1999 from a cell phone.  Call the SAPS on 10111!

Be secure

Crime stats indicate that crime in the area is on the rise since the middle of December 2011. Make sure that your premises is secure and that you have tested and serviced your alarm.  Call your alarm company and make sure that they have your key-holder information correctly stored on their database so that they can contact the key holder swiftly in case of an event.  Ensure you DO NOT make yourself a target of crime by leaving valuables unattended or easily accessible, whether in your vehicle or on your desk.

Please visit www.bcid.org.za  to find our security weekly and monthly incident reports that may assist you in identifying trends and prevent you from becoming a victim of crime.  Incident reports are filed on the home page under incident reports and weekly and monthly reports under documents.

Speeding remains a big problem in Blackheath and throughout the country as a whole. The BCID is working with the Cape Town Traffic Department to prevent and address speeding within the Blackheath Area.  Regular VCP’s, speed enforcement and joint operations occur within the Blackheath Industrial Area and are co-ordinated between Law Enforcement, the Metro police, SAPS and Traffic Services through the Sector Security Forum that was set up by the Blackheath CID.  Regular visits and spot-checks are also carried out to the local scrap and second hand dealers in partnership with the SAPS and Law Enforcement’s Metal Theft Unit.

Application has been made to the City of Cape Town for approval for the implementation of a new 4-way stop at the corner of Wimbledon and Heath Roads to shorten the distance between traffic calming points.  We appeal to owners to request their employees to obey all traffic laws and be extremely careful near the “Temporary Relocated Area” of Happy Valley.   Clearly this development brings families and children and domestic animals et al closer to the edge of Wimbledon Road, exposing them to the dangers of this main route and the sometimes poor driving habits of road users.

There was a fatal accident on the 10th of January at the corner of Range and Stellenbosch Arterial Roads when a truck ran over a 5 year old boy who was walking with his father who was pushing a trolley.

Storm water canals being installed next to Wimbled on Road

The project that is currently getting the most attention is the Happy Valley formal housing development on our Western border with Wimbledon Road.  ASLA reports that they are currently on schedule and set to finish the housing development by October 2013. The first step is to move the first phase of the Happy Valley residents to Temporary Relocated Areas (TRA’s) alongside Wimbledon Road and to then also begin installing the bulk infrastructure for Water, Sewerage and Storm Water services to the area.

Also included in the first phase is the bulk earth works.  ASLA reportedly have moved about 24000m² of the 128000m² of landfill to date. To complete phase one 78 Houses need to be built by 18 July 2012. Notwithstanding the 22 full time ASLA workers on the project, 29 casual workers from Happy Valley are also employed on a daily basis to man the contract, thus creating employment for the local area.

The timeline for the rest of project of erecting 1340 houses are as follows:

–    Phase 2 – 93 Houses by 22 August 2012.
–    Phase 3 – 104 Houses by 25 September 2012.
–    Phase 4 – 117 Houses by 22 October 2012.
–    Phase 5 – 102 House by 19 November 2012.
–    Phase 6 – 88 Houses by 9 January 2013.
–    Phase 7 – 87 Houses by 31 January 2013. 84 Houses by 25 February 2013.
–    Phase 8 – 143 Houses by 18 April 2013.
–    Phase 9 – 97 Houses by 10 May 2013.
–    Phase 10 – 180 Houses by 10 July 2013.
–    Phase 11 – 152 Houses by 22 August 2013.
–    Phase 12 – 60 Houses by 19 September 2013.
–    Phase 13 – 67 Houses by 7 October 2013.

ASLA will only build one Crèche on the four Crèche sites that have been identified, so funding for further Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres will have to be found from other sources and ofcourse we will relocate the Happy Feet Creche to one of these sites. The development will also make provision for a Primary School.

The development of one of the two TRA’s next to Wimbledon Road

CITY OF CAPE TOWN STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR, ALDERMAN PATRICIA DE LILLE

10 JANUARY 2012

Capetonians urged to conserve electricity as Eskom warns of possible load-shedding Eskom has officially informed the City of Cape Town that, due to its inability to meet the rising high demand for electricity throughout the country, there is the possibility that Cape Town may experience load-shedding in the next few weeks. The risk of load-shedding has been exacerbated by on-going maintenance works that Eskom has undertaken as it grapples with the task of boosting capacity to supply electricity to avoid sustained power outages. As the round of load-shedding in 2008 revealed, the process of load-shedding is a difficult one. Sustained power outages would be an inconvenient and adverse disruption of our daily and economic lives, to say nothing of the social impact. Continue reading

SAFETY WHILE SHOPPING

• Secure your belongings
• When shopping do not leave your bag or valuables (eg Cell phones) unattended.
• When trying on clothes make sure your belongings are secure
• Do not leave valuables such as cell phones or lap tops in plain view in your motor vehicle when the vehicle is unattended and/or while driving.
• Ensure that you have control over your bag and valuables at all times and when paying for goods or processing money at a bank make sure that you do not place your bag on a counter and leave it unattended.
• Be aware of strangers who may try to distract you.
• Be alert when drawing money Continue reading

Dear Member, I have received many calls raising concern about the building of shacks within the Happy Valley Informal area and would like to clear up any concerns as follows: The tender for the development of the Happy Valley informal sector as well as the building of 1460 low cost houses has now been awarded after a delay relating to an appeal that was lodged against the awarding of the tender. The project has been broken down into 16 phases and will continue this year starting at phase 1 until the 23rd of December, will then resume again in the new year and hopefully be completed by October 2013. As dwellings have already been built on tracks of land that form part of the phases of the project, these homes first have to be moved to enable development and this has resulted in the building of shacks on the reserve. These are NOT new residents, but those who are already on the housing list and who are therefore in the queue for homes and are being relocated to facilitate the development process. Please contact the CID office for any more information or if you have any matters that require confirmation or support. PS Remember to update your key-holder information with your alarm company before you go on holiday! Best December wishes, Brendan van der Merwe. 0829270515

A lot has been happening as far as infrastructure is concerned and anybody who travels through Blackheath regularly will have seen a flurry of Council vehicles contractors attending to works, not just over the last few months following the World Cup, but before this event also.

Storm Water:

All the water canals and storm water canals within the area have been cleared and cleaned since the 01st of June 2010. There are still those, like the ones situated in Rand Road that need to be repaired and upgraded, but this is in process and we are constantly attending to storm water issues. We hope that by now we have identified and addressed or plan to address all issues, please inform me immediately if you have an issue with Storm Water you feel may not have been flagged. Continue reading