PART 3 - requires a bit of your time. It is a 3page draft document presented over a year ago and accepted as the basis on which our forward planning should be based. I would like to have this conversation opened more broadly now. a Plan of Action (PoA) will be presented soon to take this Vision forward . Meanwhile comments are welcome. I may have to post the 3 pages separately. I ask for your indulgence. VISION 2020 FOR THE TWO ESTATES IN WARD 57 OF THE CAPE METRO. The seed for a Developmental Plan for Walmer Estate was planted about 3 years ago by the then elected leadership of WERCF, but has grown since then and taken deep roots in its’ current thinking. Various factors have influenced us to prepare a proposal for presentation to the community in the near future. This presentation will form the basis for the “Forum” to start the process of dialogue within the community to share our vision of the future by 2020 for our area. This discussion paper will be informed by the following realities and observations noted over this period. BOUNDARIES. The boundaries of the 2-Estates may have some relevance to residents for various reasons of import. For the purpose of this document we will accept that WERCF operates within the Constitution of the “Forum” which has Roodebloem Road as its’ Southern boundary. This road in itself forms a natural split between the 2-Estates, even though there are the differences in opinion about the historical boundaries and naming of the 2-Estates. We will not discuss this matter in this document, other than working on the position that WERCF has on what the boundaries are, as there is no other alternative legal imperative. BACKGROUND. Historically Walmer Estate has always had a rich cultural, religious and ethnic diversity and is blessed with a great and convenient location. The down side to all this was the noticeable different “class” nooks in our area that sometimes led to negative perceptions resulting in an Us and Them undercurrent of feelings among residents residing in these nooks. The recent changes in the political landscape of the country cannot be escaped by 2-Estates. We remember District6; the Dry Docks and the settlement the previous racist apartheid state provided to the Portugese community (known then in colloquial terms as Little Madeira) and named by them as University Estate. We remember also the demolition of d6 and the Dry Docks, but the flourishing of University Estate. We remind ourselves that Walmer Estate,as the neighbouring area to the 3 mentioned, was the natural follow-up target of that racist regime, but the concerted struggle of the people finally ended that rule. Walmer Estate, in part, still carries those scars, both physically and emotionally. ( note the long arduous battle it has been to get restitution to those that had suffered at the hands of that regime and the current ‘powers” that be, and the scarred properties that still leaves a blot on the landscape of our neighbourhood- as a stark reminder to the past and of how various levels of government today still fail to respond timeously to the needs of communities. The 2-Estates, for obvious reasons, have a become a popular choice for property investors , developers and your one off house buyer. Prices are high, based on market dynamics. The community who has got roots in Walmer Estate that goes back over a hundred years, have noticed since the ‘80s - but more so in the last 10-15 years a marked increase in property changing hands and a new type of resident moving in. Our communities are facing the same challenges as all other communities in the Cape Metro, viz, the threat of drug abuse; gang activity, albeit at a low level ; poor delivery of basic services by the City and SAPS; and a host of other social and safety problems. POSITIVES. WERCF TODAY acknowledges the good and strong working relationship, at leadership level, with the current elected Ward Cllr. Brett Herron and the Woodstock SAPS Station Commander Col. Ndzenso. This has not been easy but it is sustainable. The relationships in itself does not guarantee the quality of service delivery that we rightfully demand for our area, but we believe that in these 2 important roleplayers we have, and can form important alliances. PAGE 2 WILL FOLLOW ON NEXT POST
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 10:12:18 +0000
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