MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF THE 19th APRIL 2023

MINUTES FOR THE MONTHLY PUBLIC MEETING OF THE

NEW KILLARNEY-RIVIERA ASSOCIATION

HELD VIRTUALLY OVER THE INTERNET

ON WEDNESDAY 19 APRIL 2023 at 18H30

PRESENT:        Wayne Ford (Killarney Village); Charles Whyte (Beverley Heights and Daventry Court); Advocate Zubair Khan (Dukes Court); Sameena Khan (Mentone Court); Leon Mare (Castlerosse).

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1.     WELCOME

• Wayne opened the meeting, and welcomed all attendees.

2.     APOLOGIES RECEIVED

• Amina Omarjee (Killarney Wilds); Kim Robinson (Killarney Hills); Clinton Knop (Biarritz).

3.     DISCUSSION OF TIME CONSTRAINT

• We have load-shedding in progress, so some people may be participating in this meeting on battery power. We will therefore keep the meeting to one hour if possible.

4.     CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES, AND MATTERS ARISING

• The minutes of the previous meeting had been circulated to all attendees, and were approved by them. The details were incorporated into the monthly newsletter.

5.     STATUS OF OUR SUBURB, AND LIST OF ISSUES REQUIRING ACTION

• Pavement and pothole repairs – the details of the situation had been laid out in the covering letter attaching to the agenda, and in successive monthly newsletters. We have been proposing for the NKRA to patch the pavements that were dug up but never repaired in 2^nd Ave, in 1^st Street, in 3^rd Street, and in 8^th Street corner Newtown Road. The idea is to make them safe but not to make them perfectly smooth. At the same time we will address any serious potholes in these roads, and in other low-traffic side roads nearby. We will not address bricked or paved areas, only damaged tar. The amount required is R72,000. We have received a number of positive responses to this proposal, and zero negative responses. Although we are unhappy that we have to do the job of the municipality on top of paying huge amounts in rates and taxes, the meeting resolved unanimously to proceed with this project so as to protect the interests and safety of our residents.
• We will continue to pressure the ward councillor to get services delivered in Killarney, and in particular the essential repairs to busy roads which we cannot address ourselves. It was also proposed to begin the preparation for a lawsuit against the municipality, in case these serious issues are not resolved promptly.
• Overgrown pavements in 7^th Street – the details of the situation had been laid out in the covering letter attaching to the agenda, and in successive monthly newsletters. We had proposed for the NKRA to hire a service provider to clear the garbage, rubble and weeds from the pavement in 7^th Street bordering the motorway, which is now so obstructed that pedestrians have to walk in the street. In addition, this is one of the main roads through Killarney, and the state of this pavement is very detrimental to the image of Killarney. We have a quote of R8,250 – which includes removing three skips full of waste. Although we are unhappy that we have to do the job of the municipality on top of paying huge amounts in rates and taxes, the meeting resolved unanimously to proceed with this project so as to protect the interests and safety of our residents.
• Cleaning the park – various people have asked us to clean up the park. The main problem is that branches fall all the time from the mature jacaranda trees, and the park gardener piles them near the 2^nd Avenue gate to be taken away as fire-wood, or to be collected by the City Parks cleaners. Other garden refuse also accumulates on that pile, and it has become an eyesore. The City Parks cleaners don’t remove it when they empty bins and cut the grass. It was resolved to hire a small service provider with a truck to remove all this accumulated debris, as a cost of R1,850. This will also include removing a quantity of other rubbish was has accumulated behind the ablution block over the years.
• It was noted that a community-minded resident of Killarney Park has recently arranged, at her own expense, for a person to clean out the accumulated muck at the bottom of the various dustbins in the park, which City parks does not remove. Many thanks indeed to Debbie for this valuable contribution.
• The SAPS and the JMPD jointly raided Killarney recently, as part of their 100 Days of active crime prevention project. Illegal hawkers were chased away, but they soon returned. Some delivery scooters were impounded, apparently for various outstanding traffic offences. The SAPS have promised to keep up the pressure on the illegal hawkers.
• The SAPS cannot prosecute drug sellers unless they catch them in possession of illegal substances. The drug sellers know this, and they hide their products somewhere in their vicinity. If we can identify their hiding places then the police will be better able to address these criminals. It was proposed to improve our camera coverage in the problem area, using multiple small cameras rather than a mobile camera which requires a full-time operator. Zubair will liaise with the trustees at Dukes Court on this matter, and Sameena will liaise with the trustees at Mentone Court.
• It was again explained that the Mall is undertaking a major renovation project which will incorporate a taxi facility on the Mall premises, but that no timelines have yet been agreed.
• It was proposed to launch a lawsuit against the municipality to compel them to enforce the by-laws. Advocate Khan offered to lead this process pro bono on behalf of the community, which we greatly appreciate. However we also need an attorney to volunteer to undertake the attorney-level activities. If there are any attorneys in Killarney who are willing to assist, please let us know.
• Our SAPS community safety liaison officer, Sergeant Mdlolo, has been promoted to Warrant Officer. We congratulate her on this promotion.

7.     GENERAL

• The street lights in Riviera Road are not working properly at present, even when we do not have load-shedding. This must be reported to City Power by as many residents as possible please.
• The two Martin buildings were auctioned today, and large bids were received for both buildings. We now wait to see if Dr Martin accepts these offers.
• Residents are reminded not to display cell-phones on the pavements, so as to avoid being targeted by robbers.
• Major pavement and pothole repairs are difficult and expensive. Repairing the trenches in the pavements requires the heavy roller to make them smooth and safe, so we are required to use a contractor for those jobs. However there are many smaller defects in pavements all around the suburb. A few concerned residents and buildings have already addressed issues in the vicinity of their buildings, at their own expense. We encourage all buildings to attend to their pavements themselves, before they become dangerous. We can buy cold-mix asphalt at R130 per 25kg bag at Builders Warehouse, for example.

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The meeting was closed at 19h35, with thanks to all who participated.

Our next public meeting will be held virtually on

WEDNESDAY 24 MAY 2023 AT 18H30

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PLEASE PASS ON THESE MINUTES TO OTHER RESIDENTS IN YOUR BUILDINGS

JMPD call centre hotline number – 080 872 3342

JMPD Control Room – 011 758 9620

City emergency hotline on 011 375 5911

SAPS patrol van – 071 675 6001

If you get no response from the patrol van, please call 10111

Councillor Huggett – by SMS or WhatsApp – 071 785 8068