Councillor Rick Crouch
has asked that attention be brought
to the fact some residents were
unaware of how to go about reporting
service items such as potholes,
street and traffic lights.
They often phone him with complaints
which, when he reports them, result
in him being given a reference number
but obviously, he does not have
the time to go round checking as
to whether the fault has been attended
to.
Should you wish to report street
lights for example then phone 0801313111,
give them the number and location
of the pole and obtain a reference
number.
Traffic lights can be reported by
phoning 0800 333467,
again obtaining a reference number.
Potholes should be reported by e-mail
to Eservices@dmws.durban.gov.za;
you should get a reference number
by return mail. When reporting these
please give a location such as a
street pole or house number.
Untidy verges should be called in
by phone to 031-7673908
or e-mail singhsuresh@durban.gov.za
Should you find after 2 weeks your
complaint has not been attended
to please contact either Rick (councillor@ward10.co.za)
or myself letting us know of the
problem together with the reference
number. Either of us can follow
up with the various Department heads
as to where the problem lies; we
will, of course, get back to you
with whatever we find out. We're are here to serve
the community .. with
your help
To give you some background,
COWRA was formed
with the amalgamation of the Kloof
Ratepayers Association and the
Gillitts Ratepayers and Residents
Association.
With the formation of the Ward Committees,
it was deemed by the committees of
both Kloof Ratepayers
and Gillitts Ratepayers
that the interests of the residents
would be better served by one united
body representing the area, rather
than two different organisations.
Thus, we have amalgamated the two into the
new Central Outer West Ratepayers Association,
who represent the interests of the bulk
of residents in the area.
At the moment, we serve the areas of
Kloof, Gillitts,
St. Helier, Everton, Forest Hills,
Stockville and Winston
Park. As the name suggests, we
are open to including other areas in the
future, but for now we simply dovetail with
similar organisations who look after the
areas adjacent to ours.
I wonder how many residents of the
Outer West have heard the disturbing
news that developers have applied
for a rezoning of the field where
the Saturday Farmers Market
takes place; apparently the idea is
to build a 29000 square metre shopping
centre ( this is similar in size to
the original Pavilion centre at Westville)
plus 6000 square metres of office
space.
I honestly do not think such a development
is required out here at the present
time, there are many shop and office
spaces to let all over the place and
the Outer West has lost so much green
area such as Emberton in recent years
I do not want to see another chunk
go away.
Traffic would also be a headache along
Kassier Road especially with the new
hospital right opposite; Shongweni
Farmers market is synonymous with
the Upper Highway Area and people
come from all over KZN to visit the
market. If it is lost to developers
then it will be a sad day for the
Upper Highway Area and it's residents.
I would appreciate anyone who has
similar views to myself to lodge comments
to:
The Regional Coordinator,
Land Use Management Branch,
22-24 Delamore Road
Hillcrest 3610
or by e-mail to:
cliffordn@durban.gov.za
... or better still, click here
and say your bit which will automatically
be sent to the parties involved,
and you will receive a copy.
Crime
Watch
Information
supplied by Blue Security
A plea from your local administrator.
I would like to see a positive response
regarding the fact residents are just
not being careful enough even though they
know we live in a high crime rate area.
Every week I send the crime sheets round
and am constantly amazed at the number
of burglaries which occur where home owners
do not put their alarms on.
Even persons going away on holiday or
on business for a few days fail to do
this, they are asking for trouble.
Also I am convinced that inside information
is used by the criminals because in a
lot of cases they know exactly where to
go. People should be more careful when
they go to a safe or drawer where valuables
are kept and ensure there are no eyes
watching them. Another anti crime feature
is to train your maid and gardener in
the use of your alarm system even to the
extent of getting them a panic button.
They should be told to never open the
door or gate to anyone who claims to be
coming in to repair something or to read
a meter; tell them they should first contact
you to verify.
This
section relates to important Town Planning
issues and local news
Keep up to date with the latest
news from COWRA .... read
on
REHABILITATiON OF VARIOUS ROADS IN THE KLOOF
AREA
The Roads Provision Department will be undertaking
road rehabilitation work on various roads
in the Kloof area. The works is planned
to commence during October 2011 and anticipated
date for completion is February 2012, subject
to conditions beyond their control.
The works will take place during the day
between 08:00 to 16:00. Although all traffic
movements will be allowed during these times
they will be restricted by lane closures,
which could result in delays. Residents
and landowners will be advised of works
in a particular road via door to door notices
prior to commencement of the works.
The roads affected are:
• Abelia Road - From lmpangele to
Dan Pienaar Road
• Pioneer Road - From Old Main Road
to M13 on ramp (Shell Garage)
• Village Road - From Old Main to
Pioneer Road
• Old Main Road - From Pioneer to
Village Road
Road users and residents are advised to
exercise extreme caution and patience when
travelling through the construction site
during this period, and are also urged to
consider alternative routes where possible.
For any further enquiries or information,
please contact Craig Bradely on: 031 583
3400,
Important
Info
Download a copy of the minute
for the previous [2011] Cowra
AGM
This Newsletter is the courtesy of The
Administrator
.. Want to receive the newsletter by
email ..CLICK
HERE
COWRA AGM The COWRA AGM was held at the Gillitts Hall on the 22nd August, wth Ward 10 Councillor as the guest speaker.. For those who were unable to attend, here are some key points that arose.
Chairman's Report COWRA Chairman, Alan Smaldon, reported that membership fees would have to go up to R60 per family per year. He raised a concern over the possibility of Durban bidding for the 2020 Olympics, saying that the costs to the ratepayer would be excessive and the benefits, limited. He lauded the proposal for a high speed rail project between Durban and Johannesburg by 2019, saying that anything that removed heavy vehicles from the N3 and M13 would contribute to improved safety and reduced road maintenance costs.
Fixing Faults The Chairman's successes in getting Outer West roads, pavements and other infrastructure repaired were highlighted and he indicated he would continue to push for the authorities to 'do their job'.
New Committee The committee for 2011/2012 will be: Vicky Sithram, Peter Grobler, Malcolm Chadbourne, Birgit Kaiser, Alan Smaldon, Terri Fritchley and Billy Archery. Guest Speaker Guest Speaker, Rick Crouch, gave an overview of his policies for Ward 10 and reported on a range of news in the Ward. He explained the concept of a Special Rating Area and reported the successes achieved in the Maytime area, which as registered as an SRA. Reporting Problems He highlighted the importance of reporting problems to the municipality (eservices@dmws.durban.gov.za) and copying the report to him (councillor@ward10.co.za) for follow through. Railway Line He said that the railway line from Stokers to Wyebank continued to be a problem and despite promises from Transnet, little has happened. Gillitts Station The Gillitts station is once again going out to tender after the brick company was given notice to leave for being in breach of their lease. There is hope that Gillitts Community Forum may still get a chance to get the site for use as a security hub. White Stones It was reported that the practice of placing white stones on verges is illegal. Pavements are not private property and if any car damage ensues from rocks on pavements, the adjoining homeowner could be held responsible. Payers of Rates Councillor Crouch reported on his 'war of words' with City manager, Mike Sutcliffe. He said that he maintained that only 9-12% of eThekwini residents pay rates whereas Dr Sutcliffe maintains the figure is 97%.
