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TUESDAY 21 July 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
@ThePeoplesPost
People’s Post
Parks open for exercise The City of Cape Town last week said its recreation and parks department was ready to open all parks within the metropole, including Arderne Gardens, for exercise purposes. However, on Sunday 19 July, the gates to Arderne Gardens were still shut. Rose Meny-Gibert, secretary at Friends of the Arderne Gardens, said they are still waiting on City council’s permission to open. “We hope it will be soon,” she said. Mayor Dan Plato said City staff had been hard at work during lockdown to ensure parks were ready for residents. See the full story on page 8. PHOTO: NETTALIE VILJOEN
SAFETY AND SECURITY
Project’s light fizzles out NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
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“blue lights” project which failed to get off the ground in Upper Claremont has to date left at least 18 residents out of pocket. In April last year, subscribers to the Neighbourly WhatsApp group were allegedly asked to pay a premium membership fee of R999. The money was apparently meant to go towards the introduction of the City of Cape Town’s law enforcement auxiliary programme in the area. In an email sent to “premium membership” subscribers on 12 November 2019, the owner of Neighbourly (whose name is known to People’s Post) said the decision had been made not to go ahead with the project. Upper Claremont does not have an official neighbourhood watch (NHW). The email indicated that the plan had been
to access the City’s initiative through another suburb’s NHW. However, it claimed the City had pulled its support for the NHW involved which “Neighbourly and other entities contributing were going to use as the ‘vehicle’ to pay the City of Cape Town”. The message concluded: “We will be making refunds and will inform you of a payment/refund plan going forward shortly.” Two of the subscribers who deposited the money in Neighbourly’s account in April last year agreed to speak to People’s Post on condition of anonymity. According to one of the sources, the idea to introduce the City’s auxiliary programme was first raised by a resident at an Upper Claremont Ratepayers’ and Residents’ Association annual general meeting held at the beginning of last year. “Neighbourly then jumped on the bandwagon, saying they would collect the money to get the ball rolling,” the source said. In an email sent to People’s Post on Monday 20 July, Neighbourly said: “The ‘blue
lights project’ was not something we had initiated but were approached to participate in. We were one of a number of entities, including other NHWs, who committed funds monthly when the project was to lift off.” It explained its paying members on its network would top up paying an additional small premium to have direct access to the law enforcement vehicle. “Our members were not contributors to the project but were clients of ours. Unfortunately, the project was delayed then put on hold. Something we had no control or say in.” Neighbourly said it held on to the hope that it would restart but after many months it did not. “We were disappointed as well as the neighbours. It’s during this time we experienced financial difficulty.” Up until today residents still haven’t been reimbursed. Sources claim that shortly after the email was sent in November last year, Neighbourly’s owner “fell off the globe”. “He doesn’t reply to emails or answer phone calls,” a source claimed.
That was until People’s Post started investigating. After months of silence, the owner sent an email to subscribers on Wednesday 15 July, apologising for “not messaging in the longest period of time” and saying he was committed to refunding “you and the other neighbours” over the next few months. In correspondence with People’s Post, Neighbourly said: “It is our primary focus to have them refunded and this is something we have begun and are rigorously pursuing.” However, sources remain doubtful. For one individual, the owner’s “disappearing act” marked the beginning of the end of trust between residents and the company. “Being given the promise that there would be someone looking after us while we slept and paying for it in advance to get it started; thinking others would see how effective it was and then also come on board. Only then for it not to happen. I lost all my faith in them.” V Continued on page 3.