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www.cad4all.co.za TUESDAY 8 December 2020 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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People’s Post
Toy donation a hit Fidelity ADT, in partnership with Harfield Village Community Improvement District (CID), hosted a toy drive at Hampstead Park in Harfield Village on Saturday 5 December. Residents brought and dropped-off gently used or new toys from 10:00 to 14:00. The toys will be donated to the Goedgedacht Trust. The trust seeks to transform rural communities by offering children the opportunity to become healthy, self-confident, educated young people able to take up leadership roles in their own communities. For most of these children, it will be the only gift they receive this Christmas. Helping on the day were Bradley Thomas, Tomislav Milakovic, Kyle Lamont, Candice Hammond, Leighton Fuscher – all affiliated with Fidelity ADT.
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Subways get closer look NETTALIE VILJOEN NETTALIE.VILJOEN@MEDIA24.COM
T
he City of Cape Town has gone on record, saying it is responsible for the maintenance and renewal of street-tostreet subways which do not give access to Prasa stations or properties, including the long-beleaguered subways located in Alma, Liesbeek and Burg roads in Rosebank. The City’s Mayco member for transport Felicity Purchase says these subways were all covered by historic agreements which apportioned maintenance and renewal responsibilities between the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and the City. “The City has assumed the responsibility for maintenance and renewal of those streetto-street subways which do not give access to Prasa stations or properties based on an understanding between the two parties. Exceptions to the above can be where the street-to-street subway is within the station precinct, for example, Steurhof and Wittebome,” Purchase says. With approximately 42 subways (of which
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some have been closed) scattered along the southern suburbs railway line from Mowbray to Simon’s Town, the question of who exactly is responsible for the maintenance of street-to-street subways – Prasa or the City– has been posed for many years as complaints of the subways’ deteriorating state surfaced continuously. Flooding, unkept premises, the danger of muggings, poor and faulty lighting conditions, and the occupation of the subways by the homeless in the winter months are but some of the issues which consistently crop up. Two years ago, (“Subways too risky”, People’s Post, 20 March 2018), when the City was asked to whom these three subways belonged, the then Mayco member (South) Eddie Andrews said the question should be directed to Prasa. The question was again raised following the death of Samuel Bagalwa (27) on Wednesday 21 October. While police are still investigating the exact circumstances surrounding his death, it has been alleged that Bagalwa was hit and killed by a train while crossing the railway tracks in the vicinity of Guildford and Alma roads. It has been alleged he had crossed the tracks because he was una-
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ble to use the subway located in Liesbeek Road. The subway, according to reports, had been flooded at the time. During a CapeTalk radio discussion held on the state of the subways on Tuesday 3 November, the programme host, Pippa Hudson, indicated that, when CapeTalk, seeking guests for the interview, asked the City’s official media contact person who the City person responsible for subways was, the response had been that it was Prasa. Raymond Maseko, Prasa’s acting regional manager, who was on the panel, however, later indicated that there was an agreement that stretched as far back as the creation of the Union of SA. Those who knew Bagalwa described the death of the qualified mechanical engineer as a huge loss to the community. However, his death seemingly did lead to a renewed focus on the state of subways. Actions taken include the acceptance of a motion for the establishment of a City’s special task force to address the deteriorating conditions at subways made at a sub-council 20 meeting on Wednesday 19 November (“Action plan for subways, People’s Post, 24 November). In addition, a subcouncil 16 site inspection
was held of Liesbeek subway on Tuesday 17 November. Subcouncil 16 chair Matthew Kempthorne says the site inspection was attended by the officials from the City line departments tasked to maintain the subways as well as interested members of the local community. Departments present included roads and stormwater; solid waste; parks and recreation; water and sanitation; and electricity. “The purpose was to get all the line departments at the site so we can address the problems and maintain the subways,” he says. Kempthorne says graffiti needed to be removed and the subway needed regular cleaning. He says, following the inspection, it was decided to push for continued maintenance and to keep a lookout to stop vandalism. “The subcouncil will follow-up and make sure the line departments continue to maintain the City subways.” A suggestion was also made that a memorial – possibly a memory garden of indigenous plants – should be set up at one of the subways for Bagalwa. “The community must ask for this through their representative on the ward committee,” Kempthorne says.