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Carly Davids, Westridge
Regarding “Westridge garden left dry” (Plainsman, January 24), I went through all of the channels to sort out why a public garden did not have water since October last year.
For some reason Ashley Potts, councillor for Ward 81 (including Westridge and Rocklands), decided to lie and put out a narrative that I have been deliberately going against the law multiple times by over watering but I have pictures to prove I go according to the rules.
For the him to attack my character and put those lies out there for thousands of people to see.
It has been a day since the publication of the article and I have gotten comments from people driving past, while watering when the council says I should water.
I need Mr Potts to bring proof of his statements made in the previous report because the water was never put off; it was a faulty meter and that would be in their books.
I need Mr Potts to own up to his lies and apologise for trying to put a narrative out there about my character.
The Recreation and Parks Department became aware of the issue in November 2023 and found that there was low water pressure.
The Department then escalated the issue to the City’s Water and Sanitation Department for further investigation and input.
Input from the City’s Water and Sanitation Departments confirms that the water was not switched off but that the water meter is faulty.
A request for the water meter to be fixed has been sent to the City’s Water and Sanitation Department for their urgent intervention.
The C3 notification was created on Tuesday January 23 where after the correct address details were obtained, the job was assigned and prioritised for resolution.
The City of Cape Town also wrote that the Recreation and Parks Department was not aware of this and could not confirm whether it was happening.
They initiate litter bag collection once a week, general maintenance on a two-week cycle and mowing takes places as and when required.
The department values any contribution or public involvement with regards to the upkeep and beautification of open spaces throughout the City.
The partnerships can be extremely successful and community involvement has been effective to reduce vandalism, dumping and anti-social behaviour.
I am happy to report that the water point at the City park on Simonsig has been repaired and is able to be used as directed by the Parks and Recreation department.
I gladly apologise for the misgiving of information regarding the assumed lack of correctness of the information I have had as Park supervisor has reported the problem relates to the damaged water management device (WMD).
My intention was never to discredit the resident as we need all to achieve our objectives.
Should the resident volunteer her time to care for the park and wish to lodge any further queries she may need assistance with, she is welcome to contact me, my office or simply by calling 086 010 3089.
All Parks and Public Open Spaces are remains the responsibility of the responsible line department and any additional help is ideally managed through inclusive community participation.
I will forever be grateful to Ms Davids and the host of other willing residents, for their ongoing efforts and encourage all residents living close to a park to join in the vision to green Ward 81.
I acknowledge that there are many more who go about caring for the spaces close to them, including the many residents who makes their front yards beautiful even though its parks’ responsibility.
Your efforts do not go unseen.
I look forward to making a lot more noise about your efforts in the coming months.
Know that it is celebrated.
Together we can achieve our ultimate goal to see all 109 parks across our ward being enjoyed by children and parents daily. Making it both beautiful and safe for all.