Sea Point is changing

THE DECISION on Tafelberg school has been delayed and there is still a lot to be said. Certain groups have been spewing rhetoric which highlights how little they know about the area and its inhabitants.

Sea Point was multi-racial long before apartheid ended and there is and always has been low-cost housing here.

A stroll along Main and Regent Roads and between Main and High Level Roads, where you will find former rent-controlled flats, can confirm this.

I did some research of my own after receiving a rude awakening when I visited Melomed, a new hospital in Retreat, opposite the Blue Route Mall, and realised we are living in a village in Sea Point with not all that much going on.

We have four small mini malls, one of which charges R2 for the toilet, four banks, four supermarkets and a small Woolworths.

The rest is all private businesses, many of which open and close or relocate.

From this month, we won’t even have a post office.

Most residents commute out of this area for work and shopping as prices for goods and services are far higher here than anywhere else.

So where are the economic opportunities?

Domestic work is on a steep and rapid downward spiral.

With every house demolished, up pops a block of flats. These buildings have no grounds or staff quarters and small entrances, eliminating the need for gardeners and even security guards.

Those who want full-time domestics have to buy another bachelor or two-roomed flat nearby.

The flats themselves are much smaller, but designed for maximum convenience.

As well as the normal washing and drying machines, dish washers and so on, they also have windows and floors that are easy to clean.

If one feels a good spring clean is needed, a cleaning service is a phone call away.

At present most people I know use a once-a- week char, who might work all over the Peninsula. Soon it will be left to the super rich and power couples to employ full time housekeepers and nannies.