Anthony Moses was re-elected Ward 44 councillor. This is Mr Moses’ second term. Ward 44 covers Vanguard Estate, Welcome Estate, parts of Gugulethu, and Heideveld.
“I’m happy that the voters have shown confidence in the DA and me, and allowing me to serve a second term. I believe I am the only councillor in this ward, who served a full five-year term, and who has been elected to serve a second term.”
Speaking about the challenges in his ward, Mr Moses said he wants to continue with service delivery based on a needs assessment.
“I have held public meetings and spoken to residents who approached my office, and among the biggest challenges, are issues within the family unit. I’m hoping to help strengthen families by offering soft skills. There are plans to build an early childhood (ECD) centre, which will also be a place where families can go. As far as the safety concerns, we have good co-operation from the neighbourhood watch, which is doing excellent work. We also have good support from the Metro Police and Law Enforcement. Our road safety contractors are already in the area, as the roads in and around the Heideveld flats will be upgraded. Gates will also be installed at the entrances of all the blocks of flats. Housing is another challenge, and with that, we are looking at gap housing, for those people who do not qualify for a housing subsidy, but who also cannot afford to buy on the open market. I am also exploring whether we have enough recreational facilities – do we need a youth development centre, for example. Our seniors are another priority – here we would look at home-based care, and all the other needs seniors have,” Mr Moses said.
Contact Mr Moses at 072 126 8447.
* Magedien Davids, was re-elected Ward 48 councillor. This is Mr Davids’ second term. Ward 48 covers Belgravia Estate, Rylands, Gatesville, Penlyn Estate, Belthorn Estate, Crawford, Athlone (South of Newton Avenue and Boeschoeten Road, East of First Avenue, North of Kromboom Parkway and West of Thornton Road).
Mr Davids is excited that he was re-elected and is already hard at work to serve his ward, he said.
“Drugs, crime and safety issues are among the major challenges in my ward. I am going to work with the three police stations in my ward, which are Philippi, Athlone and Lansdowne SAPS, as well as with the respective community police forums (CPFs). The neighbourhood watches in the area are also all on board. Another concern is the high level of truancy among primary school children. We have already started an intervention programme to get those children into school regularly. It’s difficult though, because the parents are not always co-operative. Many leave their children to their own devices and just collect the social grant money,” Mr Davids said.
Contact Mr Davids at 082 495 5259.
* Jonathan Cupido was elected as the new Ward 31 councillor. Ward 31 covers Montana Extension, Nooitgedacht, Valhalla Park, Montevideo, King David Country Club, Durheim, Charlesville, Boquinar Industrial Area, Kalksteenfontein, Bonteheuwel (South of Blombos Street, Borriehout Street and Loganberry Street, east of Bonteheuwel Avenue and Smalblaar Road, north of Settlers Drive and west of railway).
Mr Cupido said it has “always been within my nature to serve people to the best of my ability”.
He added: “As a first-time councillor, it is indeed an honour to know that people in the community put their trust in you to be a voice on their behalf.
“I do, however, know that with this comes great responsibility and therefore first wish to thank all those who went out to cast their votes, knowing that we as a community have definitely made progress, but still have much more to do.”
The major challenges in his ward, include lack of job opportunities, lack of housing, illegal dumping, illegal scrap yards and illegal shebeens, he said, adding that plans are in the pipeline to address these issues.
“One of the problems I’ve come across is that the community, because of previous experiences, refuse to log issues or complaints and this results in issues persisting within our ward. This is one issue I wish to address and change. I also wish to bring the City of Cape Town closer to the community because the ward is huge and thus not everybody is able to meet you at an official office.”
Mr Cupido believes the only way to address matters effectively, is to be an accessible ward councillor.
“I am going to ensure that I avail myself at public spaces within my ward for the community to meet up with me. On Mondays and Tuesdays I’ll be at the office awarded to me by the City of Cape Town, on Wednesdays and Thursdays I’ll be at public spaces at hours announced to the community. On Fridays I’ll do all the follow-ups of the week’s issues, so I’ll move within the ward to follow up on what has not yet been addressed.
Within my first nine months, I’ll run a series of workshops to assist the community on how to communicate with the City of Cape Town. This training will teach residents how to log faults on the City’s Service Notification System, so that more than just issues of blocked drains or power failures can be logged.
“I will also host workshops on how to become a part of the City’s database as an organisation, this will then assist in me being able to meet with more organisations as part of our inclusive city pillar,” Mr Cupido said.
Contact Mr Cupido at 084 865 8122.
* Ward 42 covers Manenberg (South of The Downs Road, East of Duinefontein Road, North of Lansdowne Road, West of Vygekraal Road) and Gugulethu.
Mr Ngxumza said he is happy, humbled and ready to take up the task as Ward 42 councillor. Among the challenges in his ward, are informal settlements, lack of formal housing, and health-related matters. Because his ward cuts across two communities, part of his plans involve integration.
“I don’t want people to be divided. When it comes to ward allocation, it will be spread across the two communities in a fair manner. My priority is to establish a ward committee and to make sure that everybody in my ward is represented there. I would also like it if my budget is approved by the community. It must be community-driven,” Mr Ngxumza said.
Contact Mr Ngxumza at 073 851 9386
Caption 6: Angus McKenzie is the new Ward 50 councillor.
Ward 50 covers Bonteheuwel.
Mr McKenzie said the challenges in Bonteheuwel were more about socio-economic conditions than municipal matters.
His priority, he said, would be to establish ward committees, and he would be hosting meetings with non-profit and non-governmental organisations, as well as religious institutions in the area, to get the ball rolling.
“This is an awesome opportunity, not for myself, but for generations to come. The difference we can make now, will be more tangible for our future generation,” Mr McKenzie said.
Contact Mr McKenzie at 082 444 1850
