Report Back – September 2025

Dear Napier Residents,

As spring arrives, we are pleased to share updates on some key issues that the NRA has been working on this past month. Your input, participation, and continued support remain crucial as we address matters impacting our town.

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🚧 Road Repairs

Road repairs have begun on several roads in Napier, which is a positive step forward. However, the full extent and quality of the repairs are yet to be seen.

Our concern remains that we have still not been able to secure a meeting with the municipality regarding road upgrades in Nuwerus. We will continue to request this meeting until a plan is presented and confirmed.

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🛑 Speeding on Sarel Cilliers

Speeding remains one of the top complaints we receive from residents.

Currently, CAM cannot enforce speed along the full extent of Sarel Cilliers Street due to the placement of provincial speed-warning signage. To address this, we have formally engaged the Western Cape Government.

Here is an excerpt from the letter we sent to Provincial Roads Engineer, Sarah Chow:

“We urgently request the removal of the current speed warning signage within town. We have been informed that speed traps may not be placed within 300m of such signs, yet the signage is positioned exactly where enforcement is most needed.

Furthermore, we require additional signage at both entrances to town to address ongoing issues, specifically:
• No exhaust braking
• No overnight parking/sleeping for trucks
• Welcome to Napier

We believe these measures are essential to improving safety, reducing noise disturbance, and ensuring a more orderly traffic environment in Napier.”

We are awaiting a response and will report back as soon as there is progress.

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🏏 Cricket Field Servitude

A significant matter has come to light regarding a servitude that was granted over the Cricket Fields.

Our investigation revealed that the servitude was registered without proper council approval or public participation, in direct non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and the Municipal Asset Transfer Regulations (MATR).

Through our PAIA request, CAM confirmed the procedural non-compliance and stated that a report on options to regularise the transaction will be submitted to Council for consideration.

This is an important step toward transparency and accountability, and we will continue to monitor and engage until the matter is resolved in a lawful manner.

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🐖 Pig Farms and African Swine Fever

Despite the widespread cases, it took over a week to get a letter sent to CAM to declare a quarantine area on the 12 September. On the 16 September it was confiemed by the State Vet that it is African Swine Fever.

To date as at 17 September CAM have not issued a notice or .quarantine area and pigs are being moved in and out of the area. We will be addressing this with CAM for investigation.

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🔊 Noise Complaints

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♻️ Refuse and Recycling

We continue to raise concerns about recycling being collected with household refuse.

Residents are urged to only use the clear bags for recycling. The NRA will be requesting that CAM not collect refuse that has been placed into recycling bags by mistake.

We have also proposed that recycling be split at home by type (e.g., tins in one bag, plastic in another). This will make it easier for those collecting recyclables to take what they need without tearing bags open and leaving litter behind — helping keep Napier cleaner and creating more opportunity for income generation from waste collection.

We have also requested:

• Additional bins in key areas around town
• Urgent placement of skips near the informal settlement

We are awaiting a response with dates for these actions.

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🚏 Road Names Project

The NRA is exploring ways to update and improve road names across Napier. Funding will be the key challenge for this project, but we are committed to finding solutions and will keep residents informed as we make progress.

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🏛️ Heritage Inventory Appeal

An appeal was lodge against the Heritage Inventory by an individual claiming to represent the people and appealed on the following grounds.

The appeal challenges the approval of the Napier Heritage Inventory on three grounds: that the public participation process was inadequate, that the inventory contains omissions and inaccuracies (particularly relating to Nuwerus and intangible heritage), and that the Cape Agulhas Municipality lacks the capacity to manage and implement the inventory. The appellants argue that the 30-day comment period was too short, that a request for extension was unfairly denied, and that residents did not fully understand the impact of the inventory on their property rights. They are asking that the matter be sent back to the municipality for a repeat public participation process before the inventory can be adopted.

Heritage Western Cape then ruled on this stating that the only thing that needed to be done was an extension of the public participation process.

Cape Agulhas Municipality, Napier Residents Association and Napier Heritage and Conservation Body appealed this decision taking this to the Heritage Tribunal.

The Heritage Tribunal was held this month, where the NRA presented its arguments against the additional 60-day extension that was granted earlier.

Proceedings were lengthy, with various parties presenting arguments, some of which were outside the scope of the current process. The NRA focused on ensuring procedural fairness and opposing unnecessary delays.

Key observations:

• Some opposing arguments were not relevant to this phase and addressed issues that will be dealt with at a later stage.
• It was noted that further public participation takes before the final steps and this is just to get a list as a starting point.
• Heritage Western Cape itself acknowledged that public participation is not strictly required at this stage, raising questions about why extra time was necessary. Cape Town Municipality don’t even do public participation at this stage.
• An inventory is a living document and can be added to and removed from at any time.

The Tribunal has indicated that a decision could take up to 90 days. While it is difficult to predict the outcome, there were moments during the proceedings that suggest a positive result for Napier. We will keep the community informed as soon as we receive a formal decision.

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🆘 Urgent Appeal Response – House Fire in Adam Street

We appealed to the community for donations of furniture, clothing, building materials, or financial support. Thank you to how the community responded.

Financial donations was made by the NRA and further donations where made via community members.

We would also like to establish a Future Relief Fund to help families affected by emergencies so we can respond more quickly when tragedy strikes. Please make donations to the NRA for future relief funds.

Two members of the NRA handing over donation from the Napier Resident Association

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☀️ SSEG (Solar) Charges

The NRA continues to engage with CAM on the issue of SSEG charges — the fixed monthly fee applied to residents who have installed solar systems connected to the grid.

Our position remains clear:

• These charges should not unfairly penalise residents who are actively reducing strain on the municipal grid and contributing to a more sustainable energy future.
• The tariff structure should be transparent, equitable, and reflective of actual costs, rather than discouraging investment in renewable energy.

We have requested that CAM:

Consider a tiered or fairer approach that recognises smaller residential systems
Provide a detailed breakdown of how SSEG fees are calculated
Ensure that charges are in line with NERSA guidelines

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Get Involved, Napier!

We encourage every resident to:

• Comment on municipal plans during public participation processes
• Join local initiatives to uplift Napier
• Be proactive in tackling crime & social challenges
• Report all crime incidents to SAPS
• Log service delivery issues via the CAM Citizen App  – https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1FA4VznhAz/

We’re here to represent YOU—and we invite you to be part of creating a safer, cleaner, more equitable Napier.

📩 Contact us: info@napierresidents.co.za
🌐 Website: www.napierresidents.co.za
📱 Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/209368649444562
📲 Contact us to Join our WhatsApp group for updates.

Here is a link to our current committee members –

Let’s work together to make Napier stronger and a model town!

Kind regards,

Kevin Poulter
Chairperson
Napier Residents Association