Keith Blake, Ottery
A few days ago I wrote a few emails on the illegal dumping issue that is taking place in Parkwood in Ward 66.
Subsequent to those emails, I have been receiving correspondence from Pastor Paul Phillips of Voice of Parkwood and telephonic feedback from the newly elected councillor William Akim.
I met councillor William Akim and to my pleasant surprise this public servant was handing out to all the residents a beautiful, very informative pamphlet titled “The consequences of illegal dumping, rats and diseases” and other pamphlets in relation to dire water saving.
What struck me was how the community was flocking to the councillor while we drove around and one can see without a doubt this is a hands-on councillor.
We then encountered 10 thankful Parkwood residents cleaning up the ward and they were reaping the benefits of the EPWP programme. I then met members of Parkwood who, also under the EPWP programme, were being used and trained to put water saving meters into 161 backyard dwellers’ homes.
The one resident stated that after this programme and the training that comes with it, he and the others will be able to do plumbing work and so place it on their CVs.
I want to really state that Mr Akim on seeing what is happening did something and he went to the streets on ground level and took leadership in an issue that was affecting his ward negatively.
The other issue that came from the mayor and chief whip’s office was the brilliant initiative to allow councillors to appoint ward assistants in each ward. I was introduced to these assistants by Mr Akim and the function is to keep the community line of communication open if the ward councillor is in meetings or otherwise occupied. To the City of Cape Town, well done, this is a brilliant initiative and I just hope all our Western Cape residents are informed of these ward assistants.