This is a note to keep you up to date on the feedback from Ward and on Overstrand Muncipal issues.  Please check the Overestrand documents Blog on our Website where any Rooiels relevant documents that come from OM are posted.  You will also find the official Ward 10 Minutes there; the most recent received being for the Ward Meeting on 25th January. 
 
The Environmental Management Plan for the Rooiels River Estuary and a call for final comments on the Overstrand Vacant Erven Firewise policy, both have 4th March as the deadline for any comments you would like to send in.  In their response RERA will draw attention to the Rooiels Vision and the need for policies that differentiate between conservancies and urban areas.  Alien vegetation was a major cause of the damage in the most recent fire and more concerted efforts to remove invasive alien vegetation will be strongly recommended to underpin Firewise efforts and support biodiversity.  The RERA committee has been engaging with relevant authorities and neighbouring communities on service issues and on those in support of the Rooiels Vision including inappropriate Erf development (e.g. on the river) and has been working with REC on the extension of the officially designated Nature Reserve to include the Koppie, the coastal edge and the estuary.
 
At the Ward Meeting on 15th February the OM gave a presentation on their recycling project.  They recommended that we put all possible clean recycling materials into our clear plastic bags and their waste pickers will put anything not needed into a tailings bin.  They do prefer the tops of plastic and glass bottles to be off (different plastics are recycled in different lots and metal is separated from glass).  They agreed to give us more detailed feedback on what is most in demand for recycling in due course.  The full presentation is available on the current OM documents Blog.
 
The paving of Anemone is expected to take place in March this year although the deadline is given as the end of the financial year in June 2022.  The old IDP was rolled over to November 2022. A new reviewed priorities list will be circulated.  Storm-water drains are on that list for Rooiels.
The new IDP will no longer allocate R500000 to Wards discretionary expenditure as in the past (R50000 Care projects only).  All budgets will be combined and so it will be important to make strong representations for any expenditure required to be included in the new IDP at Ward level.  New or refurbishing of infrastructure can be more easily accommodated under a Capex budget if it is for expenditure that will generate revenue (e.g. water) because it can be financed through loans. 
 
A call was made for the Municipal monthly bills to include warnings to residents that they live in a baboon area and suggestions were made for stronger penalties to be in place for those not complying with baboon proof bins.  OM had put a hold on all collaring of baboons and the Ward Councillor reaffirmed that in the future the OM will not spend ratepayers funds on baboon management. 
 
A request was made that all Ratepayers reports with complaints about service issues call the
 OM Control Room –0283138111–AND please also include the Rooiels Reference number:  801.  

​RERA feedback from the Overstrand Municipality Ward and other meetings as at 6 Feb 2022
 
There has been a real effort to include people in the operations of the Overstrand Municipality and you are all encouraged to share with us any issues you may have that we can take up at the Ward meetings.  If possible please also provide possible solutions to the problems raised.  This is a summary of the feedback from the three meetings held early in 2022.  You can get the full reports on RERA Ward Committee Feedback on the website.
 
20th January Waterpipe Reportback Meeting at Crassula Hall with Mayor and OM officials
There has been a significant increase in water pipe bursts throughout OM and a substantial decline in funding the pipe replacement budgets.  A suggestion is that the Ward committees pressurise the OM to prioritise the CapEx budgets for water pipe repair and replacement.
The bulk water replacement pipe that supplies the properties south of Erf 222 in Rooiels (where most of the bursts have been occurring) should be completely installed by June 2022.  The cost of replacing water pipes is roughly R1.5 million per km.  Officials consider there are sufficient pressure relief valves but are aware of a tension between the ideal pressure to reduce pipe bursts in the older systems and the pressure desired for fire hydrants. 
At that meeting the Mayor indicated that Firefighting and Baboon Management are not part of the OM mandate and she is adamant that no baboon management will take place unless these funds are coming from central government. She is in discussions with Minister Bredell and Cape Nature on financing the R32 million for baboon management and getting funds from central government for the annual firefighting budget.
 
25th January Ward Committee Meeting, Pringle Bay Hall
A detailed report-back on roads will be presented by OM at the next meeting.  Please report problems with roads, storm-water drains and other issues for presentation to the Ward committee.  
Whether the Villages stay with Eskom direct service or change to Overstrand as the supplier was put forward as a suggestion but no details or discussion (comment: as we gather more information this  will be presented to Rooiels by RERA before any position is taken on this).  The waste management issue was addressed and some suggestions made for simple baboon proof bins to be made by the unemployed.  No new items are expected for the Ward budget which is in its final year.  A call was made for any small Capital Expenditure budget items that are high priority to be submitted for the OM budget.
Next Ward meeting will be at 1600 hours (venue to be determined).
In a follow up RERA/REC meeting on 24th January with OM Infrastructure division the specific needs of Rooiels were outlined, various issues raised and note made of those to be addressed in the new financial year.  RERA will continue to engage.
 
3rd February Mayor Resumes First Thursdays meetings for individuals to meet with officials without appointments
On Thursday 3rd February at 5 pm, an Open Meeting at the Hermanus Municipal Auditorium was held.  All the OM Department heads and their 2 ICs were introduced.  Any Overstrand ratepayer is able to attend and can address questions to the relevant Department.  Municipal rates and meter readings are not included.  The venue of the March meeting will be communicated on RECA. A meeting to discuss problems with municipal accounts will be held in Kleinmond and venue and date will be circulated as soon as available.
 
There will be a Public Ward meeting at 1800 hours on 15th February, 2022 (venue to be advised)