Dear Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration,

I am Mr F Haupt and I live opposite a Public Park situated in Ward 16 Russell's Rest Eerste River
The park is made available to our community as per the first attachment below.
My petition is that both gates to the park be opened to everyone at a regular time every day and nothing else.

There is a 'group' of residents that lock the park and this matter has been ongoing since February 2021 when the fence was first erected.
I attended a meeting of this group and I spoke to the chairman of this group at his house. I've been to the Parks Board at the Civic Centre in Cape Town
and I've written to the Ward Councillors both past and present.I have written to the Mayors both past and present as well as to the current Premier of the Western Cape.
I've written to the City Ombudsman and finally to the Public Protector and all without any success and I feel that I would be remiss if I did not also present my appeal to parliament.

For briefness I will just deal with the first and the last of my communications.
I was invited to and attended a meeting of this group on Thursday 22 April 2021 where I heard inter alia that
a) they had covertly written to the municipality requesting that at the park be removed and houses be built there
b) that they wanted a Wi-fi tower that the community needs and uses be removed and
c) that they did not want people not from the community to use the park.
On 25 May 2021 I spoke with and asked Mr Les Stevens the chairman of the group why the park was locked and his direct answer to me was "You lucky I didn't build houses there (sic)"
and he continued to tell me that as I was at the meeting I had agreed that the park be locked.Whereupon I informed him that I would not attend any more meetings and I never have.

Attached is a copy of the Final report from the public Protector as well as my response

I have not expressed any of my own personal feelings on this matter as I feel that is irrelevant. However, what I do believe is relevant is what the law requires and why Mr Mandela
spent 27 years in prison.The reasons the municipality gives for this action are criminal activities and antisocial behaviour but without any evidence to support either.

If you can help in any way I will be glad but if you can't I will understand.

Regards

Mr F F Haupt
Sunday 17 September 2023


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