KRAAIFONTEIN
X1VNRBP9-AL040919
Woensdag, 4 September 2019 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
@TygerBurger
TygerBurger 11 11tydskrifte tydskrifte ++ 35 35 koerante koerante
Netwerk24. Netwerk24. Alles Alles op op een een plek.
Teken Teken in in by by www.netwerk24.com. www.netwerk24.com.
THE PALMS: ‘IT CAN EASILY BE MISTAKEN AS A PARK’
Detention dam poses safety risk THABANG KUAHO @thab_journo
R
esidents on Wailea Road in The Palms are concerned about the safety of the community. This comes after a detention dam that could easily be mistaken for a park in the area has allegedly not been maintained by the City of Cape Town for almost four months. Elderly resident, Charles Engelke (70) said the grass has grown to knee-height in the last four months. Furthermore, he said the area is used as a hiding spot for criminals targeting the area. “The local neighbourhood watch has caught a few ‘criminals’ who were breaking into houses in the area. All of them were hiding at the dam,” a frustrated Engelke said. He said despite numerous calls to the City, nothing has been done about the situation. “To my knowledge, the City has independent contractors who should maintain public areas but we have not seen them coming to cut the grass for the past four months.” Engelke said his house and those of the neighbours have been broken into a number of times. “Imagine it has rained and the children go out to play in the ‘park’ and drown because they do not see that they cannot play there.” The Palms neghbourhood watch member André van Rensburg said the team has caught three suspected criminals hiding
out at the dam in the last three months. “What is sad is that we cannot speak to the councilor because we do not know who he or she is.” Mayco member for community services and health Zahid Badroodien said the maintenance of the dam has been delayed due to the City having had encountered challenges relating to the mowing tender in Area North. He further said that the City was working overtime to address the backlog. Badroodien said the City’s recreation and parks department was responsible for the maintenance of parks. He urged residents to log maintenance requests on the City’s website or call the local horticultural depot. “The recreation and parks staff are working hard to keep areas maintained and mowing teams are currently busy in the Kraaifontein area. The park is scheduled to be mowed this week.” Furthermore, Badroodien said the City has implemented additional measurements to ensure that the grass cutting concerns are addressed. These include the employment of 400 additional EPWP workers who will participate in a job creation and development programme. “The department will also be embarking on a process that will allow for the creation of additional permanent positions, thereby enhancing the internal capacity for mowing and resulting in lesser dependency on contractors.” VTo log a maintenance request, call the Kraaifontein horticultural depot on 021 444 9736 or visit https:// eservices1.capetown.gov.za/coct/wapl/zsreq_app/ index.html..
The wonders of science ...
Émile Hartzenberg from Durbanville is mixing a glittery oobleck, a non-Newtonion fluid which one can play with, during a science pamper party held in Pinehurst in Durbanville to promote science among girls. A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid of which the viscosity is variable based on applied force – the most common everyday example being cornstarch dissolved in water. The name “oobleck” is derived from the Dr Seuss book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”. See article and more photo’s on page 6. PHOTO: NICKEY BOTHMA PHOTOGRAPHY