Community uproar over R80m upgrade

Residents and business tenants kept in the dark about progress

BONTEHEUWEL residents have complained they were being kept in the dark about the City’s R80 million redevelopment of the area’s town centre. Plans for the upgrade have been in the pipeline for the past seven years.

Community worker and Bonteheuwel Development Forum member Suerita Ernstzen said yesterday they were not aware of what was happening.

“An upgrade for the centre is long overdue, especially because it has been planned for so long,” she said.

Another forum member Leonard Luikes said: “There has been no indication as to when they are going to start with the redevelopment of the centre. The problem we had is that the City of Cape Town did not listen to us when they came and put up the plans and photos of how the new building will look. How can you build things for this community when you have not asked (for) their input? We wanted to know how the people of Bonteheuwel (were) going to benefit from this project.”

The area’s ward councillor, Angus McKenzie, said a new steering committee had been established to look at the redevelopment.

“There was (a) meeting of the steering committee planned for last week, but (it) did not happen. The architectural plans for the development were drawn up before my term. But we will be having a relook at the plans, as I am aware that people were unhappy,” he said.

Residents must tell him what they wanted, he said.

“We are planning to bring in big retailers, but also give informal traders a space. This is a massive project with a huge budget. The small businesses in the building will be accommodated in the new one. We want the informal traders to create employment opportunities in the area. At the end of the day, we want to change people’s lives,” McKenzie said.

This newspaper has previously reported on McKenzie saying there were discussions with at least two big retailers and hardware stores about becoming anchor tenants.

Once a hive for shopping, recreation and other community activities, the centre had fallen into a state of disrepair owing to crime and vandalism.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the centre accommodated anything from dry-cleaners and a shoemaker to a cinema and a pharmacy.

Eugene Brown, who runs a barber shop from one of the buildings in the centre, said that all the small businesses operating at what was still left of the centre were unsure if they would be accommodated in the new proposed mall.

“I have been running my business from here for eight years and all of the other business do not know what is going to happen. We have asked councillor McKenzie, but have heard nothing yet.”