DA leader’s housing trivial for the elderly

I REALLY couldn’t care less about the DA leader’s housing issues. What does give us sleepless nights are the short-sighted decisions that affect our housing, and of our enjoyment of the beach in our old age.

As far as I can tell, our input after the regional meeting just went down the drain, because one official claimed to had never seen it; and I doubt if there is a proper logging system.

So the regional meeting was also time wasted.

The DA has, for Cape Town only, a by-law (28) that requires of each apartment block to install water meters. It doesn’t apply in other towns or cities. Which is fine for new blocks or blocks where each flat has a separate stop-tap. However, some blocks – and I believe, some commercial premises – used to belong to a single entity and were not set up that way. To apply this by-law would require hammering away the old plumbing system and installing new ones altogether.

That would involve endless hammering away, possibly damaging structures, disrupting the lives of people who might have to move into guest houses, and huge costs – for the owner. Did any of the Einsteins at the department think this through, at all? When I went to take it up in Strand, I was promised a house visit after the elections (which was two weeks later) to discuss a second amendment to include a grandfathers’ clause. This. Has. Still. Not. Happened.

Second, we retired in Strand for taking long walks on the beach. But it is outright dangerous, especially early in the morning (when the wind tends to quiet down), and during quiet office hours.

Since the City can’t guarantee our safety, we got a dog. But we are not allowed to walk him on the nice, flat beach at Melkbaai; we are advised to go to the doggy beach, which is thick with sand and runs at an angle.

Elderly people with walking frames or artificial joints or limbs find this beach difficult or inaccessible.

Yet, the local municipality insists on banning us from the easy Melkbaai beach at all times. Our suggestion is to regulate the dogs by registering each one, and requiring each dog to have its registration number displayed at all times.

Now, as it stands, the elderly either have to look at the beach longingly or risk their lives against criminals or if approached give a fictitious name and address.

Therefore, since the DA doesn’t care about the impact of by-law 28, nor about our enjoyment of Melkbaai beach, be assured it is not Maimane’s housing that drove us away.

It seems like the DA could be morphing into a little dictatorship with a total lack of empathy.

DR E ROSS | Strand