Report Back – October 2025

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1. Community & Membership

  • Membership remains steady. Residents are encouraged to support the NRA through membership fees, donations and active participation.
  • Our month’s newsletter readers have reached a maximum of 589 readers in a month, indicating strong community engagement.

2. Street Name Painting

A community-led initiative between AfriForum and the Napier Residents Association (NRA) has been launched to repaint 60 street names across the village, improving visibility and contributing to a cleaner, more welcoming town. AfriForum Cape Aguhlas Branch has fully funded and will manage the painting of these 60 street names, and one person from the local community will be employed to carry out the work. We appreciate AfriForum’s support and look forward to collaborating on future community projects. While 60 street names have been identified for the initial phase, this does not yet cover the entire town. Residents who wish to support the project or request that their specific street name be included are invited to contribute. The cost to repaint one street name is R200. To make a donation or get involved, please contact the NRA or speak to Chony directly..

3. Correspondence & Engagement with Municipality

  • Servitude & Legal Compliance: The municipality acknowledged in two separate responses that processes relating to servitude and festival approvals were not compliant with legislation.No response has been received to the NRA’s formal request for an investigation into municipal actions regarding servitude approvals.
  • SEGG (Solar Feedback Charges): The fee implemented by CAM (R810/month) is higher than budgeted (R620). This makes it more expensive for residents to feed power back to the grid, disincentivising solar investment. It was confirmed that a single figure was provided to NERSA for the increase which was not the fee that was being charged. The NRA is currently addressing this concern.
  • What We Submitted
    The NRA formally requested that Council urgently consider several matters affecting municipal governance and institutional integrity. Key requests included:

Immediate action regarding senior municipal officials, including independent investigations where necessary. Requests included proper grievance processes in line with legislation.

Additional Investigations:

Review of irregular approvals, including the Spatial Development Framework, subdivision approvals, and servitudes granted without proper Council oversight.

Acting Appointments:

Concerns regarding continued acting appointments of senior officials, including compliance with the Municipal Systems Act, Municipal Finance Management Act, and other relevant legislation.

Supporting Documentation
We provided detailed annexures outlining the legal framework, governance concerns, unresolved grievances, and procedural irregularities.

Current Status
The Napier Residents Association has received formal acknowledgement on 16 October 2025 from the Acting Municipal Manager confirming receipt of our correspondence and supporting documents dated 29 September 2025.

The acknowledgement notes that the matters raised involve complex governance and procedural issues that require consultation with internal departments, verification of documentation, and engagement with Council leadership.

The Acting Municipal Manager has committed to providing a comprehensive written response no later than 30 October 2025 and has indicated that any further delays will be communicated if required.

We await confirmation of when these matters will be placed before Council for consideration.

Next Steps
The NRA will continue to pursue these matters through all available legal and procedural avenues, including potential escalation to the MEC for Local Government or the public protector should this be needed.

4. Land Use & Planning

  • Subdivision Applications: Several applications are in process:
    • 1826 Subdivision – NRA intends to object due to heritage considerations.
    • 1358 Subdivision – servitude concerns and awaiting CAMS decision.
    • 1287 property – new application received.
    • 1359 Subdivision – This project is being revived with the purchase of a portion of Trade Street and the swop of land on Sarel Cilliers
    • 1367, 1369, 1388 Subdivision – This project is being revived with the swop of land on van der Byl and Eskom Street
    • 113 Subdivision – Letter has been written for investigation into how this subdivision was approved and what due diligence was done.
  • Compliance: NRA will be lodging a formal complaint regarding a recently approved subdivision where due process was not followed.
  • The Napier Residents Association (NRA) does not have the legal authority to make decisions on subdivision applications, nor can subdivisions be opposed purely on emotional or subjective grounds. All comments submitted by the NRA are based on relevant legislation, municipal policy, and the applicable spatial development frameworks. Currently, there are no areas in Napier where subdivision is outright prohibited; however, certain zones are designated for densification while others are not, and some areas are identified as protected, which may place specific limitations on development. This structured approach is consistent with spatial planning practices across South Africa and has proven beneficial in towns such as Greyton and Stanford, where clear frameworks have guided sustainable growth while protecting heritage assets and maintaining the town’s unique character. This, in turn, has strengthened their tourism appeal and economic resilience, demonstrating how well-managed planning supports both preservation and development.

5. Heritage Appeal

  • NRA finalised all formal submission to the Heritage Appeals Committee with regards the heritage appeal.
  • The process has been delayed because the Cape Agulhas Municipality (CAM) opted to seek additional input for the heritage inventory. The process should follow these steps:

Heritage Inventory Process with Public Participation

  1. Identify and Record Heritage Resources
    1. Conduct a comprehensive survey to identify and document heritage resources within the municipality’s jurisdiction.
  2. Preliminary Grading and Compilation
    • Assign preliminary grades to identified resources based on their significance.
    • Compile the data into a draft heritage inventory
  3. Submission to IGIC
    • Submit the draft heritage inventory to HWC’s IGIC for review.
  4. Public Participation
    • After IGIC’s review, the draft inventory is made available for public comment.
    • Engage with the public, including property owners, local communities, and conservation bodies, to gather feedback.
    • Incorporate the feedback into the final inventory.
  5. Final Approval by HWC Council
    • Submit the final heritage inventory, including public participation outcomes, to HWC Council for approval.
  6. Gazetting and Implementation
    • Upon approval, the heritage resources are gazetted, and the local authority implements protective measures through planning schemes or by-laws.

Clarification on CAM’s Additional Public Participation

  • CAM inserted an additional public participation stage before step 3 (which could be called “Step 2b”). This step is not practiced by any other municipality, including the City of Cape Town.
  • Unfortunately, this early public participation was objected to. HWC appears to have misunderstood the stage of the process, assuming it was already at Step 4, and suggested extending a public participation process of Step 2b which for all intense and purposes should not exist.
  • Until the process progresses past Step 3, the formal public participation required by law cannot take place. This misunderstanding is currently creating division in the community.

7. Safety, Law Enforcement

  • Law enforcement confirmed:
    • They are aware of noise complaints and are planning to install sound monitoring devices.
    • Speed enforcement is hampered by poorly placed speed limit signs. NRA is pushing for their removal to allow effective speed trapping.
    • After-hours law enforcement remains non-functional — the official line is rarely answered.
    • The NRA has lodged conserns regarding the Head of Law Enforcement.
  • Animal control: Loose dogs, pigs and other animals remain a significant complaint from residents.
  • IDP and budget: Budget was allocated to install additional camara’s in Napier. One included in this was a camara at the entrance to the Informal Settlement which some informal settlement residents refused to allow.

8. Environmental & Public Space

  • Taxi Stop: Newly built taxi stop was constructed in the wrong location and is unused and has been vandalised.
  • Outdoor Gym & Soccer Field: Vandalism and theft have damaged community facilities.
  • Informal Settlement: Rapid growth, illegal subletting, and safety concerns were raised. Law enforcement and SAPS have acted in the area, escalating the need for coordinated intervention.
  • Population increases and employment: There is a concern with regards a sudden population increase with limited potential of employment within Napier.

9. Infrastructure & Housing

  • Toilets in Informal Settlement: Construction was halted by local protests demanding jobs.
  • New Low-Income Housing: Was signed off at council this month; water capacity remains insufficient to support the planned development.
  • RDP Housing: The project has been approved, and the budget has been made available for work to commence and first phase of infrastructure to be completed by June 2026. Detailed project plans are still to be finalised.
  • Informal Settlement: The upgrade project for the informal settlement has been approved to commence before June 2026 but detailed plan is still not available.
  • Stormwater & Roads: Many roads have had repairs and we have now seen the painting of the stop signs on the roads in the last week.

10. Solid Waste & Litter

  • NRA is exploring a community sponsorship project for street bins, targeting high foot-traffic routes first (e.g., West Street, Baker Street).
  • Sponsored bins could include advertising opportunities for local businesses.
  • The NRA have been motivating to CAM for skips within certain areas. Three skips have now be made available to assist with dumping.

11. Community Project and support:

  • Street Name Painting

A community-driven project is being set up to repaint street names for better visibility. Thanks to AfriForum Cape Agulhas for running this project and providing the finances.

  • Bin project

A community-driven project is being set up for additional bins for the community.

Funds will be a key aspect to ensure this project is able to be delivered.

  • House Fire

The NRA appealed to our local community when a family lost much of their belongings and damaged to their home. The community responded in assisting financially and with items. Thank you to the generous residents of Napier.

  • The NRA relies on Residents and businesses contribute financially or in time to assist with projects.

12. Electricity & Tariffs

  • Power dips remain unresolved.
  • NRA is monitoring the solar feedback (SEGG) tariff dispute closely and may push for coordinated withdrawal from the program if no fair resolution is offered. The NRA has extended the involvement to the whole of Cape Agulhas and will be meeting next week with residents looking to be involved in resolving this issue.

How You Can Get Involved

  • Join the NRA: Your voice strengthens community advocacy.
  • Support Street Name Painting: Details on the campaign will be shared shortly.
  • Report Issues: Email info@napierresidents.co.za or use the official municipal reporting channels (then CC the NRA).
  • Follow us on Facebook for quick updates or join the WhatsApp group.

Together we make Napier stronger.
This monthly report is compiled by the Napier Residents Association to keep residents informed about ongoing projects, issues, and municipal matters.

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