VF Plus Helderberg
Ward 15 — Somerset West
Environmental advocate, designer and entrepreneur focused on water quality, infrastructure accountability, responsible development and protection of the Helderberg's natural environment.
Groen Sal Dit Doen!
I was born and schooled in Somerset West, studied in Cape Town and Stellenbosch, and worked abroad before returning home. I am a designer, inventor and eco-entrepreneur, and my work has centred on environomic-designed products for agricultural sustainability.
I am a lifelong surfer and paddler, a decorated volunteer lifeguard with Strand SLSC and an honorary Cape Winelands Surfing member. That relationship with our coast and waterways is where my concern for water quality began.
Over-consumption, waste, water scarcity, pollution, poverty and urban densification all threaten our biodiversity, heritage and community well-being. Monitoring infrastructure failures and constraints, I have participated in City engagements and raised public awareness to advocate for environmental custodianship, and for a Water Quality Flag System as a barometer of ecological impact, service delivery and recreational water safety.
I serve as a co-opted participant in the City's Section 80 Committee for Inland and Coastal Environments and in catchment forums, with oversight involving Water and Sanitation and Urban Waste Management. As a founding member of Friends of Paardevlei, we petitioned the Mayor to establish the Paardevlei Wetland Conservation Area and protect it from development. My supplied campaign record highlights facilitating complaints to DWS, DFFE and the Green Scorpions in relation to Heldervue network upgrades.
My advocacy with Bays of Sewage challenges the City's ageing marine outfall pipelines discharging raw sewage into the Table Mountain National Park and Robben Island marine protected areas. My Project Blue work with Rethink The Stink gave me insight into testing protocols and blind spots in water quality reporting. As BOS-Helderberg I helped convene the Stop the Sewage protest and a 12 500-signature petition.
Love and respect your neighbour. Community well-being, heritage and a legacy of custodianship are what I want to uphold, with accountability to future generations. It is time, and it would be my privilege to serve you officially.
01
The issue
Sewage and stormwater failures affect our rivers, vleis, beaches and the health of everyone who uses them, and reporting on water quality is not always clear to the public.
What I will work for
Advocate for reliable monitoring and public reporting, escalate infrastructure failures, question the City on outfall and treatment capacity, and press for the water quality information residents need.
02
The issue
Densification, questionable approvals and by-law non-compliance place pressure on heritage, property rights and the character of the ward.
What I will work for
Scrutinise planning and tribunal decisions, assist residents to object properly to rates and approvals that affect them, and hold the City to its own by-laws and processes.
03
The issue
Our mountains, waterways, wetlands and biodiversity depend on infrastructure that is maintained and on decisions that are properly scrutinised.
What I will work for
Continue work through catchment and environmental forums, coordinate with conservation groups, and hold departments accountable for maintenance backlogs affecting the natural environment.
My first responsibility will be to the residents of Ward 15. But I will not work in isolation. Our VF Plus candidates across Somerset West, Strand and Gordon's Bay intend to cooperate across ward boundaries and strengthen the Helderberg's voice within the City of Cape Town Council.
A vote for your local candidate strengthens the whole Helderberg.
Groen Sal Dit Doen!
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