MINUTES FOR THE MEETING OF THE 15th MAY 2024

MINUTES FOR THE MONTHLY PUBLIC MEETING OF THE

NEW KILLARNEY-RIVIERA ASSOCIATION

HELD VIRTUALLY OVER THE INTERNET

ON WEDNESDAY 15 MAY 2024 at 18H30

PRESENT:   Wayne Ford (Killarney Village); Charles Whyte (Beverley Heights); Lindi Metz (Killarney Park); Sanjay Lala (Sloan Square); Robyn Clark (Killarney Park); Gill Butler (Hillside Village); Ayesha Bham (Chelston Hall); Trish Terry (Gleneagles); Minky Stemela (Sevenoaks).

1. WELCOME

• Wayne opened the meeting and welcomed the attendees.

2.  APOLOGIES RECEIVED

• None

3. DISCUSSION OF TIME CONSTRAINT

• We will try to keep the meeting to one hour if possible.

4. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES, AND MATTERS ARISING

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

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

• Street and pavement repairs: We are maintaining an issue register, and we are sending this register to all relevant City officials weekly. Concern was expressed that long-standing issues are not being addressed by the municipality. We need to build up a list of potholes which require repair, so that we can finalise the planning for our pothole repair project which will be undertaken soon.
• Security cameras in 1^st Street: We have asked the Killarney Mall to install an extra camera on their building overlooking the illegal taxi rank, and they were favourably receptive. The NKRA PZT camera at Daventry Court can zoom quite far along 1^st Street – Charles will investigate exactly how far it can see with useful clarity. We have asked Vision Tactical Security for quotes on cameras and the monitoring service.
• Illegal hawkers and drinking on pavements: The hawkers (and drug sellers) at the illegal taxi rank in 1^st Street are back to normal after the recent police raid. A camera recording their activities would be very useful. It would also be great if it can record the licence plates of the drive-through drug purchasers. We also need to get a camera onto the vegetable seller who works from a truck outside the Gleneagles gate in 1^st Street, because alcohol has been seen at social gatherings around that truck.
• Problems with drinking and littering in the park: We have received a complaint that some people are consuming alcohol and dagga in the park on Mondays and Tuesdays, when the Vision Tactical guard (Eric) has his “weekend” days off. Other park users report that this is not a systemic problem. It was agreed that all park users must please keep their eyes open for this, and get video evidence where possible.
• Uber taxis in 3^rd Street: Charles is liaising with the Uber head office to ask for help with this. We need photos and videos to provide evidence of transgressions – including specifically the car licence plates where possible. Please email this evidence to Charles as our central contact person. It was reported that a large trailer is now parking regularly in 1^st Street.
• Dead pavement trees: We have received a quote of R9989 to remove the huge tree stump in Anerley Road at the corner of 7^th Street. This job will be expensive, because the tree stump is of a huge diameter, and it will require specialised equipment to cut it up. We will also seek quotes from the “Big Fellers” like Brands Tree Felling as well. We will also continue to lobby the City Parks department to take care of this.
• Repainting street names on kerbs: We have the stencils, but we are still looking for painters willing to do the job.
• Safety issues in Oxford Road: This taxi-related issue seems to be quietening down, although it is not yet finished. We still don’t know what the taxi associations are trying to achieve.
• We still experience incidents of cell-phone snatching on pavements. We will continue to encourage all buildings to put up warning signs in their buildings, particularly aimed at the visitors who use Uber, as these people seem to be the primary targets.
• Killarney Mall refurbishment progress: The planning is not yet complete, and the Mall management have not yet presented a suggested solution to the taxi rank problem. They are asking the community to suggest additional shops and facilities that we would like them to include in that process. In the meanwhile, the Killarney Mall has been doing valuable work in maintaining and improving the park, they have cleaned up the pavement at the traffic circle in 4^th Avenue, they provide a sweeper to help clean the taxi area, and they have placed private security guards out on some of our pavements. We are talking to them about setting up a camera covering the taxi rank, and they have offered to support the upcoming pothole repair project as well.

• NEW ISSUES
• A concern has been reported that the rat population is expanding again along the motorway, and rats again are venturing into neighbouring buildings in increasing numbers. This will require major municipal clean-up projects on the motorway. While we wait for the municipality to get this done, affected buildings will need to install and maintain bait-boxes to manage the rat population.
• The municipality has been repainting the road markings in Killarney again, which is great. The ward councillor will be asked to request that they also repaint the speedhumps, which have become difficult to see at night as the paint wears away.
• It has been reported that the vacant stand in Spinney Close, where the old house was demolished, is now a source of rats. There is also concern about squatters potentially settling on that land.
• The long-time homeless man who has been squatting on the pavement of Oxford Road, outside the offices of the Nelson Mandela Childrens Fund, has been joined by other homeless people. They are now also making fires on that pavement. This has been reported to the ward councillor. It would also be helpful if we could get updated photos of the situation.
• It was suggested that we should approach local businesses to support specific projects. This has been done successfully in the past, and it is working well at present with the Killarney Mall. Residents will be asked to suggest suitable projects.
• Concern was expressed about the serious condition of the pavement in Riviera Road, outside the office complex opposite the Engen petrol station.

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The meeting was closed at 19h32, with thanks to all who participated.

Our next meeting will be held virtually on

WEDNESDAY 19 JUNE 2024 AT 18H30

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PLEASE PASS ON THESE MINUTES TO OTHER RESIDENTS IN YOUR BUILDINGS

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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

JMPD call centre hotline number – 080 872 3342

JMPD Control Room – 011 758 9620

JMPD number to report Homeless People camping in the vicinity – 011 490 1538

JMPD number to report Illegal Dumping – 011 490 1684

JMPD number to report Noise Pollution – 011 718 9684

JMPD number to report Illegal Advertising – 011 490 1547

JMPD number to report Illegal Trading – 011 490 1744

JMPD number to report other By-Law issues – 011 490 1684