Report Back – February 2025
Dear Residents,
We appreciate your continued engagement and support as we work together to address community concerns and improve Napier for all. Before going into what we are working on I would like to address one aspect. I was recently confronted about the segregation in our town, and I want to make it clear that both the NRA and I see Napier as one united community. While we have different suburbs—such as Tamatekraal, Nuwerus, Bo-Dorp, and the Informal Settlement—these names simply indicate location. The NRA represents all residents of Napier, regardless of where they live. We will continue to build on a unified Napier.
Below is an update on key issues discussed and actions taken over the past month:
Law Enforcement and Traffic Control
We have engaged with the relevant municipal departments regarding the inadequate presence of law enforcement officers in Napier. Despite promises of increased patrols, traffic violations, public disturbances, and loitering in business areas remain ongoing issues. We have requested another meeting to discuss enforcement statistics and practical steps to ensure improved oversight, especially on weekends.
Water Supply and Infrastructure
Napier has experienced two significant water shortages in recent months, one of which resulted in a fire hazard in the informal settlement due to a lack of water supply. The cause of these shortages has been attributed to faulty control valves and delayed contractor responses. We are also concerned about the long-term sustainability of our water supply, given the increase in housing developments. A formal request has been made for a meeting with municipal officials to review maintenance plans, capital expenditure allocations, and future infrastructure development.
Read more about CAM’s response to water capacity
Last year during enquiries on our water capacity CAM responded with the following:
There is conflicting information with regards to the storage capacities of the reservoirs in Napier. Page 10 of the very same WATER MASTER PLAN report, item 2.3.6 states “ 2.3.6 Napier – The system is operated in 1 single zone, supplied from 2 sets of reservoirs on different heights. The Graveyard reservoir site has a combined storage capacity of 2,11 ML. The Napier High Level (HL) reservoir site has a storage capacity of 0,2 ML. Without the necessary control valves these height differences could be problematic.” The total volume is therefore 2310KL. I am awaiting clarification from the consulting engineers that prepared this report regarding this discrepancy
With regards to Pg 67, 6.2.1 Reservoirs – “Evaluated on a town-for-town basis, all the towns in CAM have sufficient reservoir storage except for Napier. Napier has insufficient reservoir storage capacity according to the reservoir storage criteria and require augmentation. The storage capacity for the Napier reservoirs is, however, only marginally below 48 h x AADD.” This is correct, based on an Annual Average Daily Demand of 900KL/day and 1520KL storage the calculation is (1520KL / 900KL/day = 1.69 days * 24 = 40.5 Hrs). However, based on 2300KL storage the calculation is (2300KL / 900KL/day = 2.56 days * 24 = 61.4 Hrs).
With regards to Pg 72, point 6.7.3 Bulk System – “The existing bulk water supply system has insufficient capacity to supply the future water demands for the fully occupied scenario and the additional future development areas.” This item is noted, and the existing bulk system will require future upgrading in a phased approach as development growth occurs in Napier.
With regards to “A new 1,5 ML reservoir is proposed at the existing Graveyard reservoir site to augment reservoir storage capacity for Napier (item CNW.B1).” Yes, reservoir capacity augmentation is required in Napier to support future anticipated growth.
Sewerage
Local resident Steve Peck has been fighting an ongoing battle with CAM over sewage contamination in the river near the Pump Station. We had believed this issue was being addressed, with a budget allocated for its resolution. However, this week, we received a deeply disappointing email from CAM stating:
“Unfortunately, the project is on hold due to the need to first obtain environmental authorizations.”
This raises serious concerns. How was a tender issued last year, with a closing date of October 4, 2024, without the necessary environmental processes being completed? Does this now mean a separate tender is required for an environmental impact study? Shouldn’t this have been included in the original project plan?
Waste Management and Recycling
A door-to-door campaign was conducted to promote recycling, and while some residents have responded positively, concerns remain about inconsistent collection practices. Reports indicate that recycling bags are sometimes mixed with general refuse, leading to frustration.
Additionally, improvements have been made at the Napier Transfer Station, but we have raised concerns about non-compostable waste contaminating green waste.
Illegal Dumping
Efforts to clean up Napier have been appreciated; however, illegal dumping remains a challenge. Areas around the informal settlement and municipal land along Elim/Volhou Road require urgent attention. We have requested that small local contractors be considered for these clean-up efforts to ensure more frequent maintenance.
Informal Settlement
The NRA and the Informal Settlement Chairperson have called on CAM to take action regarding the state of our informal settlement. Key concerns include contaminated water flowing through the settlement and into our rivers, as well as the urgent need for designated waste disposal areas with skips or other collection methods that are regularly serviced.
To date, the only response has been the construction of a fenced area in a location different from where the community had requested. However, this area has not been cleared for nearly a month.
Read more on the Informal Settlement
We are deeply concerned about the living conditions in the settlement but also recognize the responsibility of residents in maintaining their environment. We urge CAM to provide waste collection skips and implement an educational program on waste management, recycling, and health risks. Children playing among the rubbish is unacceptable, and the solution is not to remove the children but to ensure the area is properly maintained.
Fire concerns
Recently, through the Overberg District Municipality, a fire unit has been established in the Informal Settlement, and community members have received firefighting training.
In addition to response efforts, we have engaged with CAM to emphasize the importance of fire prevention. Many residents working in the community generate excess plant material, which is often disposed of by burning. This practice poses a significant fire risk, as seen just last week. Proactive measures are needed to address this ongoing hazard.
Small Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) Policy
The municipality recently approved a new SSEG policy in December 2024, but the updated document is not yet available online. Given the community’s active participation in shaping this policy, we have requested a copy for residents to review and understand its implications.
Electricity supply
Suidernuus (31 Januarty) published a detailed article on the state of our electricity supply. We have been actively addressing concerns about its quality, and CAM has acknowledged these issues and is working with Eskom to resolve them.
Land Use Application
We are awaiting an update on the departure application for Farm 127 Bredasdorp. Despite our formal objection, we have not received any notification regarding the decision. We have reminded the municipality of its legal obligation to inform affected parties and will pursue further action if no response is received within the stipulated timeframe. The applicationfor the Festival to be held on the Farm has raised wide spread concerns. View extract from council meeting.
Housing Development
There have been no updates on the housing development for Napier. The NRA exco has been invited to a meeting on the 6 Feb where we hope we will get some feedback.
Sportsgrounds upgrade in Napier
We have had no feedback on this although all tenders had to be submitted by 30 Aug 2024.
Roads and Stormwater
There is limited ongoing roadwork in Napier, but significant work remains to be completed. We are currently awaiting progress on stormwater management in Jubileum, River, and Kort Street. Additionally, a pedestrian crossing has been completed for the school in Volhou Road to enhance safety for students and residents.
The NRA are not happy with the state of our roads and will be addressing this again at the Ward Committee Meeting. CAM have put out tenders for repair of other roads within CAM but no tenders have been put out for any roads for Napier.
Bridges
The bridge repair is long overdue and the delays have not been acceptable. Since September 2023 CAM have had the opportunity to allocate money during a revised budget and the budget was allocated from July last year.
Here is the new timeline:
The following timelines are envisaged for this project.
Advertising of tender – 31 January 2025
Trenderers clarification meeting – 06 February 2025
Closing of tender – 21 February 2025
Submission to SEC – 06 March 2025
Submission to SAC – 12 March 2025
Final appointment of contractor – 28 March 2025
Completion – 30 May 2025
Reasoning behind the delays have been provided by CAM
Keeping of Animals Bylaw
CAM Council meeting 28 January 2025 approved a Standard Operating Procedure for Animals using the existing Bylaw and not the proposed draft Bylaw. We are requesting a copy of the Standard Operating Procedure.
Looking Ahead
As part of our communication strategy, the Napier Residents Association now has a website: www.napierresidents.co.za. This complements our existing Facebook Group and WhatsApp Group, providing residents with more ways to stay informed and engaged.
We encourage all residents to stay engaged, report issues promptly, and participate in public meetings to ensure your voices are heard. If you have concerns or would like to contribute to ongoing community projects, please reach out to us.
Thank you for your continued support.
Warm regards,
Kevin Poulter
Chairperson, Napier Residents Association
