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Town Centre to be upgraded MELISSA PAPIER
W
ITH the traders being moved and cleared from the alleyways and lanes in the Town Centre, plans are now in place to upgrade these areas.
Cellphone masts in Mosque pg 6
CPF has new leadership pg9
A community takes action pg12
The makeover that is on the cards for the historic Town Centre, which is over 30 years old, comes after several complaints by residents, shoppers and hawkers. The complaints relate to the unhygienic conditions, lack of facilities for traders and crime in the area. The upgrading initiative is a project of the City of Cape Town in partnership with the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG). The entire project will cost R28 million. Tenders have already been sent out and the closing date is next Tuesday. Work is expected to start in May. Mitchell’s Plain was established as a suburb in the 1970s, with the Town Centre as its heart. Families living in Mitchell’s Plain and did their shopping in the Town Centre as this was one of the places reserved for the coloured community during the Apartheid era. The Town Centre has had its fair share of challenges over the years. Health and safety, crime and the traders’ issues have been longstanding issues on the Mitchell’s Plain subcouncil agenda. Mitchell’s Plain subcouncil chairperson, Councillor Natalie Bent said she was “excited” and “welcomed” the Town Centre upgrade. “This will be the second upgrade project for the Town Centre. About two years ago the processes started and so far the taxi terminals have been completed and small changes have been made. This is being done
to make shoppers’ experience a memorable one,” Bent said. Lanes and squares will receive a face-lift; parking areas will be paved and the CCTV cameras and security services will be upgraded. Landscaping, electrical supplies and extra lighting are also on the cards. This will be the Town Centre’s second upgrade. In 2005/2006 the Northern Taxi Terminal was completed and in 2009 the Southern Taxi interchange was completed. These projects cost R135 million combined. “The people in Mitchell’s Plain are very lucky as they know exactly what is happening around them and in their surroundings,” said Bent. “Everything is falling into place in the Town Centre and as a subcouncil we will continue to put pressure on the Solid Waste department to keep the area clean. Lighting in the area is also a priority,” she added. Desma Abrahams, one of the fish traders, welcomed the upgrading of the Town Centre, saying it was “long overdue”. “The moving of all traders under one roof has benefited all the traders. The area is much safer as there is more visible policing; however we still need proper access to water in our area. “The structures are still incomplete, but this is the hub of the Town Centre and it’s about time that the area gets a face-lift,” Abrahams said. Another resident, May-Anne Bruiners added that she loved shopping and walking in the Town Centre, as it was a place “where bargains are the order of the day”. “The upgrading is a good thing and it has been a long 30 years. I am also glad that the traders have been moved to a central point and away from shop entrances, as it prevented shoppers from coming into
FRESH STOP: Darren van Wyk helps Maxwell Ntsontdwe to some delicious fresh fruit. Photo: Melissa Papier
LOOKING UP: The fish traders in the Town Centre have given the upgrade a thumbsup. Photo: Melissa Papier the shops. “With the upgrade more people would want to come to the Town Centre,” said Abrahams. Ward councillor for the area, Dennis Williams, said so far the upgrade is still in its planning phase. “The steering committee has sub-
mitted plans and suggestions and hopefully these will be put in place,” said Williams. Kenny Brinkhuis, chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain Steering Committee, told People’s Post that the Town Centre was going to be upgraded, but could not elaborate.