Warwick Bruce Chapman

Neglected park in Morans Ln, Berea

Speech to eThekwini council on 30 July 2012 in motivation of my Parks Motion.  The motion was voted down despite the support of almost all opposition parties:

The “rapidly changing land use of our City” is evidenced by the urgency with which the Development Planning Department has undertaken the Berea Land Use Management review as part of the Urban Core study in order to better manage the relatively uncontrolled growth of mixed use and commercial uses of our desperately needed residential land.

The “changing priorities of city government” acknowledges the fact that the municipality has a much broader set of responsibilities than merely maintaining the leafy nature of many of our suburbs. This is evidenced by the fact that the Parks department is completely unable to meet its obligations which has resulted in many neglected parks and public open spaces across the City.

Many of these neglected public open spaces are used by criminals, vagrants and as sites for illegal dumping. These activities contribute to the degradation of the surrounding residences, thus significantly affecting the quality of life of many of the people of our city. As a City which emphasizes quality of life, liveability and a caring approach to its inhabitants, I believe we are obliged to investigated proposals which may improve living conditions.

The proposal put forward in this motion takes into account the very changes in land use referred to above, where many residential suburbs, especially in parts of the City like the Berea, are now dominated by mixed and commercial land uses. However, the problem with such land uses being imposed on areas designed for residential purposes is that minimal off-street parking is available – entirely unsuitable for businesses.

The proposal seeks to investigate instances where neglected parks which are bounded by businesses can be adopted by those businesses in exchange for shared use of up to 25% of the area of the park as parking.

The businesses would then enter into a formal MOU with the Parks department which sets out the basis for the maintenance and upgrading of the Park to be shared by the council and the businesses.

The proposal seeks our approval for the Parks Department to investigate the possibility of entering into such partnerships to unlock the mutual benefits of increased off-street parking and improvement maintenance and cleanliness of our parks.

I urge you to support this practical proposal which could improve the quality of life of many people living in our City.

Park in Morans Ln, Berea – used as a dump, taxi parking, building storage, vagrants, copper thieves…

The Speaker – eThekwini Council
Councillor Logie Naidoo
City Hall
DURBAN
16 April 2012
Dear Mr Speaker

NOTICE OF MOTION IN TERMS OF RULE OF ORDER 13

This council noting:

1. the rapidly changing land use in parts of our City;
2. the changing priorities of our City government;
3. the significant challenge of maintaining and cleansing all parks and public open spaces;
4. the poor state of maintenance and cleanliness of many parks and public open spaces; and – that neglected parks and public open spaces are often used as bases for criminal activity.

Resolves that the Parks department be mandated to within 3 months of this meeting:

1. Investigate and report on the feasibility of entering into Public-Private Partnerships with businesses located adjacent to or across from public parks or public open spaces whereby:
   • businesses share the costs of maintaining, cleansing and lighting the parks
   • in exchange a portion of the park not exceeding 25% be converted to strictly managed parking

for use by the businesses in a manner approved by the Parks department.

1. Report on any bylaw changes which may need to take place to allow for such an initiative.
2. Identify 5 pilot sites for a 1 year pilot after which a framework and guidelines be drawn up for this to be replicated across eThekwini.

PROPOSER Councillor Warwick Chapman
SECONDER Councillor Rick Crouch

The Speaker – eThekwini Council
Councillor Logie Naidoo
City Hall
DURBAN

17 July 2012

Dear Mr Speaker

QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF SECTION 17 OF THE RULES OF ORDER

Council sponsored travel for councillors:

1. During the 2011/12 financial year, how much money was spent on domestic travel, accommodation and related allowances for councillors?

2. During the 2011/12 financial year, how much money was spent on international travel, accommodation and related allowances for councillors?
1. How many trips were undertaken and how many councillors participated in each trip?

3. Please provide a full schedule of councillors who participated in domestic and international travel during the 2011/12 financial year, including a breakdown of accommodation and other costs related to the trips.

4. Given the stipulations of section 4.1 of MFMA Circular No. 58 of December 2011, what measures will be taken to curtail expenditure on domestic and international travel of councillors and officials?

Yours faithfully
Councillor Warwick Chapman

Today’s council agenda included an item requesting the council to support U15 athletes to a international tournament to Daejeon, South Korea and requesting that council approve that two councillor accompany the athletes. The DA requested that the item be amended to remove the two councillors, the ANC voted it down and counter proposed that the number of councillors be increased to 5.

This was my impromptu address to council on the matter:

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We support the event. We support our youth. We support our athletes competing in the international arena. We would have supported the motion as tabled in order to ensure that the young athletes still got the support they need despite the waste of sending two councillors along as well.

We cannot support this amendment because we refuse to support wasting even more funds by sending more councillors on holidays.

What are we telling the citizens of this city present at this meeting and all those we were elected to represent when we waste more of our desperately needed council funds on sending well paid councillors on overseas holidays for no apparent reason?

We are simply wasting money for seemingly no reason but to spite other political parties. I wonder whether this amendment would ever have been tabled had the DA not opposed the sending of two councillors.

Our councillors are among the best paid in the country, we regularly receive clothing, accessories and free tickets from council. Councillors are fed at every meeting we attend and now we must explain to the people of eThekwini, many waiting for delivery because of shortage of funds, that we want to waste hundreds of thousands of rands sending councillors on an overseas trip when their real work is right here in our backyard.

This is not a proposal for councillors to investigate best practice in another municipality abroad. Our councillors will be accompanying athletes abroad. Why?

This is merely the ANC abusing their majority to send some councillors on a holiday. This is a holiday party sponsored by the ANC majority in this council which has been thinly disguised as support for a youth delegation to an international tournament, and we will not support it.

We rest in the knowledge that by the ANC forcing this item through council, the young athletes will still get the support they need but we will not be party to such wasted expenditure.

1. Collect litter near your property whenever you see it
2. Report dumping and don’t give up until it is cleared up
2. Clean your yard, paint your house, renovate
3. Businesses can join the Umbilo Business Forum
4. Community organisations can join the Glenwood Community Forum
5. Enhance our working relationship by joining the Community Policing Forum
6. Participating in the CPF’s community patrols to better understand our safety issues
7. BREAK DOWN WALLS! Walls have closed off and segregated our once open and integrated community. Contrary to popular belief, walls almost never enhance security. In many cases walls hide criminal activity which is taking place from people passing by. Replace your walls with fences. Get to know your neighbours again. Give the surrounding community the ability to keep an eye on your safety.
8. Use our parks, and help to keep them clean.
9. Get the council to trim overgrown bushes, or trim them yourselves.
10. If you know someone who speeds in our residential neighbourhood, let them know how you feel.

If all community members contribute on one way or another, we will collectively contribute to the improvement in the quality and safety of our community.