Maliek Stemmet, Westgate
In response to “Central line relocation meeting erupts” (Plainsman, November 15), this is an unfair process.
The deadline for submitting comments on the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and the Housing Development Agency (HDA) rezoning application needs to be extended. The deadline is Monday November 27.
The error and frustration came when the City of Cape Town omitted the document to submit our comments.
On Friday October 20, the communications were posted on social media. I received the information to submit comments on the central line issue via WhatsApp only including an email address but no documents.
We were sending objections from Friday October 20 and started getting rejection mails from Monday October 30.
That's 10 days of a wasted effort, plus an additional 10 days to Wednesday November 8 before the ward councillors and the Public Participation Unit had a meeting to clear things up.
They moved the goalposts, and still expect us to stick to the Monday November 27 deadline.
Nothing is going to get resolved at a meeting like that. We need Mitchell’s Plain to fully engage so that we can get to object in good time.
I didn't see any notice in newspapers alluding to the objection of the rezoning. It's not a public participation in this manner.
We’re not getting a fair shot. We the people here are marginalised. The people that are involved were not at that meeting.
I'm painted as a racist in this article. The City is part of the miscommunication. We are not racist here. We want the laws to be followed. We want the City to do this by law. There are laws we must follow. When the City receives our rates and taxes, they are the ones that decide on this.
I just want to make sure that Mitchell's Plain Community is correctly heard, because this isn't about race, it's about what's lawfully required from us as tax and rate-paying residents. I'm not allowed to erect illegal structures on my property, and thus my comment that we shouldn't even consider this.
I sent an email to Sub-council 17 chairperson and Ward 43 councillor, Elton Jansen more than a week ago requesting that they move the deadline for objections to Saturday December 30. I've yet to receive a response. This isn't fair on the Mitchell's Plain Community at all.