Dr Jean Borgstrom, Sea Point
As an owner, resident and ratepayer in an apartment block on the corner of Main and St James roads in Sea Point, I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by Dianne Abel in her recently published letter (“Please clean the streets”, Atlantic Sun letters, June 21).
Like her, I phone and email the City of Cape Town repeatedly about the problem of filth and litter in this area.
The one positive response which happened many months ago was that the electricity substation was eventually enclosed in an impenetrable cage which eliminated one of many dumping/storage areas used by the vagrants in the area.
The block in which I live also falls in a compulsory CID (Community Improvement District) area which means that I pay R200 and more a month supposedly in return for extra security and cleaning.
The realities are that cardboard, plastic bottles, empty food containers, toilet paper, glass bottles and much else are scattered over the public walkways and gutters. The smell of urine is also quite overwhelming at times.
The teams of cleaners arrive in the street and, while there is still refuse lying around, they settle down on the grass and wait to be collected. This “waiting” is often an hour or more. There is clearly little or no supervision. This problem is further exacerbated on Mondays which is refuse removal day when the bins are scavenged and the mess level skyrockets. It would cost our block R6 500 to put locks on our bins. We can’t afford this over and above rates and CID levies.
City of Cape Town, we are not getting any value for money and I cannot accept (as mentioned by one a City of Cape Town representative at a SFBRA meeting) that all funds are going towards water issues. Maybe publishing this letter may yield results for our area too.
