Yesterday I attended the first meeting of the proposed Camps Bay CID. It is to have three legs: Crime prevention, Homelessness prevention, and Environment/Cleanliness.
The Steering Committee is heavily dominated by males who are not on Social Media. The presentation focused on it only costing R1000 pm more per household, in addition to our Rates & Taxes. The main reason for having a CID is that Camps Bay cannot rely on the work of Volunteers, as they go on holiday, move to other areas, die, lose interest, run out of money…. Etc. I was seething, a Proud Volunteer.
They had not contacted me about Camps Bay Clean, and only featured a year old photograph of one of our beach clean ups, without recognition of Camps Bay Clean.
Today I decided to address the Steering Committee, to inform them of what I do, and to invite them to our Beach Clean on Sunday.
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Open Letter to the Camps Bay CID:
‘Dear Spencer and CID Steering Committee
Thank you for the opportunity to meet you yesterday and for the punt for funding of CAMPS BAY CLEAN for the next 10 months and hopefully beyond 1 July 2024.
I was sad that you have so little information about CAMPS BAY CLEAN and the work that I have done in the past 4 years, on a volunteer basis. I’m proudly working as a volunteer in keeping Camps Bay Clean, and I have no intention of losing interest, in moving house (I’ve lived in Camps Bay for 33 years) again, or in dying anytime soon!
As a keen walker I started noticing litter in the stream at the Tidal Pool on 2 nd of January 2019, and fetched refuse bags from my home, and cleaned the stream of picnic plates, plastic bottles, and KFC chicken bones in the main. Given that the stream flows into the ocean, I have taken the stream under my wings, and ‘adopted’ it.
Increasingly I have seen and read about Litter Hotspots in various parts of Camps Bay: ironically next to green bins, around vagrant structures, in parks, on walking trails, at the Camps Bay Drive viewpoint, at MyCiti Bus stops, at the Hussar Grill parking area, at the Symmonds Field, at Maidens Cove, and in lanes and steps, to name a few.
I worked with three homeless persons supplied via Ignisive initially but two of these were a disaster : one on drugs with mental problems, another was lazy and slept in his car when I wasn’t with them, and the third, a lady, wanted to be a car guard and work close to where her husband did the same. I gave up, very disappointed!
By luck I met Malawian Gift, who is a gardener by day, but could spend an afternoon a week with me to deal with litter hotspots.
Gift had other work obligations, so I found Malawian Joy, who also had a morning job, but could work with me once a week in the afternoons for a year. He is a real ….. joy to deal with, pardon the pun, smiling and loving his job. Since 1 August 2023 he has been working with me full-time, when he was retrenched by his former employer. Joy is a fantastic ambassador for Camps Bay and CAMPS BAY CLEAN. I bit the bullet in employing him full-time, and I am extremely grateful to the Camps Bay Community and businesses in providing donations and sponsorships.
We request the Community to identify Litter Hotspots on the days that Joy is available, and then we drive from hotspot to hotspot to remove the litter. We drop off the bags at the rock opposite Pick n Pay, for the City orange Truck to collect them before the end of the day, and before they can be torn open by vagrants.
Once a month we involve the community in a Beach Clean, the last Sunday of the month, for an hour, and I am delighted that so many families with their dogs and children participate. Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has joined two such Beach cleans in the past two years, with record attendance.
In the past six months (1 January – 30 June 2023) Joy filled 413 bags of litter, while the community Beach clean saw a total of 183 bags filled, a combined total of 596 bags.
I have an excellent relationship with Councillor Nicola Jowell and the City Cleansing Department.
I am confused between a vague promise in the Business Plan of working with Cleansing volunteers (not sure why the CID cannot acknowledge CAMPS BAY CLEAN by name) after 1 July 2024, given the Volunteer-bashing throughout the Business Plan and in the presentation yesterday.
I am willing to guide you about Litter Cleaning in Camps Bay. There is no one else in our suburb with the experience that I have, after four years of CAMPS BAY CLEAN.
I would like to invite all the CID Steering Committee members to join us at our Community Beach Clean on Sunday 27 August, from 11h00 – 12h00, meeting opposite The 41 Restaurant. Only 3 members of the CID Steering Committee have ever participated in one of our Beach Cleans. Please see details below.
Camps Bay Community Litter Clean on Sunday 27 August 🌴🐠🐳🐬🦤🐡🐟🌴
Please join our Community Beach Clean on Sunday 27 August, from 11h00 – 12h00. We meet opposite The 41 Restaurant. Please bring members of your family and friends and colleagues, wearing gloves. We will provide bags. The 41 Restaurant offers complimentary Fitch & Leedes beverages for each participant. It also offers a prize of two Burgers for the person collecting the most litter.
We welcome learners in joining us for their Community projects. We welcome donations, having appointed Joy full-time on weekdays from 1 August.
We are grateful for the sponsorship of NOX, Camps Bay Ratepayers Association, and Harcourts Atlantic, and donations from our residents. 🙏
LETS KEEP CAMPS BAY CLEAN, TOGETHER 🌴💚
Chris von Ulmenstein 🌴Camps Bay Clean💚 Camps Bay Ratepayers Association 0825511323
Thank you
Chris von Ulmenstein
CAMPS BAY CLEAN
Camps Bay Ratepayers Association Environment Portfolio
0825511323’
