MISTY CLIFFS VILLAGE ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER - September 2006
Editor: Tim Anderson
NO pretty picture to head this edition. Sorry about that. We rely on people offering us nice shots. Come on folks, how about it?
By now most of us will have got used to scribing the right year on our cheques which is a sure sign that the end of the year is approaching. This is confirmed by the increasing numbers of joggers and cyclists seen taking advantage of the lengthening days to start getting themselves fit enough to hibernate through the next winter. Any moment now we'll start whingeing about the unbearable heat. Ah … human nature …
Superficially Misty Cliffs remains largely in doze mode, which is how most of us would like it to remain. To achieve that, however, necessitates an active and non-dozing committee. Officialdom can be a curse or a blessing, an enemy or an ally, and to keep it on side involves continual interaction with its decimated but hard-striving staff complement. Considering their discouraging working circumstances it is astonishing that those whom we deal with are so willing and helpful. Nevertheless, immense patience and perseverance are required as the wheels ever so slowly turn.
Party time
The most important event coming up is our year-end general get-together in the early evening of Sunday 17 December at Lyn Mossop's pad (Erf 41) on the beach side of the M65 main road. As we've said before, the inaugural event was put on at quite short notice last year, and on a rather unsuitable date, yet was well-attended and adjudged a resounding success; all present called for a repeat.
The committee will fund the solid victuals and Lyn and team will do all the prep. Bring your own liquid victuals, but leave your spray cans at home. Provided they're not fashionably intent on vandalism, children are most welcome. Tenants (preferably not casual week-enders) are equally welcome, and we will even extend the proverbial olive branch to the free-riders who don't pay their membership subscriptions.
Obviously it is MOST IMPORTANT that all those likely to come should let one or other of the committee members know, preferably by e-mail, so that Lyn knows how many to cater for. We will let you have an invitation nearer the time and ask for a response for catering purposes then, but put it in your diary now. If you're coming to Misty for Christmas do your best to make it in good time for sunset on 17 December so you can make the party and meet your neighbours!
Our trash
Our previous newsletter described the type and availability of baboon proof bins and endeavoured, yet again, to dissuade our residents and tenants NOT to rely on plastic bags for trash containment. Alas, it just doesn't seem to get through to many of those who complain bitterly about a messy environment and the mischief of baboons that a primary cause is their provision of accessible trash to these opportunistic animals. We hope that some of you might have seen the excellent SABC 3 prime time production "My Friends, the Baboons", directed by our talented resident Greg Shaw and featuring Jenni Trethowan, "the baboon lady" alongside our dedicated baboon monitors.
We, together with our counterparts in Scarborough, have had many discussions with the municipality about how best to collect and dispose of rubbish. We thought we had come to a formal solution and were on the point of distributing to you all the specified official requirements when, quite unexpectedly, the municipal people informed us that they were going to distribute free wheelie bins to every household, although it would presumably be left to owners to attach baboon-proof latches to the bins. When this will come about is uncertain, but if the intention materializes it will be most welcome and well beyond our original expectations.
However please continue to use your own baboon proof bins (nothing else!) in the interim and tell your weekenders to take their rubbish home with them and not leave it in plastic bags for the baboons to throw around forcing your neighbours or someone on the committee to clean up.
Environmental Control Officer's Report
Where Old Camp Road was constructed we have been working continually on revegetating the raw-looking walls, embankments and construction camp-site. This has gone extremely well and we have been helped by the good winter rains. The fast-spreading sour figs are much in evidence, and we have planted hundreds of pelargoniums, many of them tediously grown from seed, as well as various other slower-growing indigenous plants which will become more visible after another season.
Along the high gabion wall towards the north end of the road we will be planting some taller trees and shrubs, but they will take several years to grow up and spread sufficiently to reduce the visual impact of the gabions. Our first concern was to re-establish the smaller bushes along the base of the wall, mainly to firm-up the ground that was heavily disturbed by the construction work. This, too, has been extremely successful.
A large number of weeds have inevitably popped up along the embankments but we have intentionally left most of them as interim cover. They will be removed progressively. We will also remove the highly invasive alien kikuyu grass in due course; probably by carefully supervised poisoning. It is impossible to extract it roots and all and any efforts to do so simply waste labour costs.
The weeds which continually grow from the interstices of the road surface blocks are regularly poisoned. The need should lessen over time as general weed control takes greater effect.
We'd like to express our appreciation to Jolyon Leslie who has greatly enhanced the appearance of "middle" Old Camp Road with stonemason Basil's beautifully constructed stone retaining wall. It would be wonderful if the adjoining property could have Basil complete the last short section similarly.
Those on the mountainside are continually cleared. The main obstruction is caused by a combination of building sand, stones and small rocks from sub-standard retaining arrangements, together with sundry papers, bags and plastic stuff mostly from contractors working in the various properties. As a general rule the smaller the contractor the more mess he makes and the less he sees it as a concern!
The new northerly boardwalk to the beach has been much welcomed but requires continual trimming of some mega-flourishing plant which seems dead set on covering the boards as fast as it can. You may have noticed that we have erected a sign at the bottom of the stone steps advising people of the need for permits, etc. As it happens, most people do come with permits, but unless there is a sign it is difficult to enforce the regulation.
Our official status
After a prolonged interaction with SARS we are now registered as a public benefit organization with the registration number 049-175-NPO. Many thanks to Tony Turner for patiently pursuing this matter. We thus are exempted from being taxed on our subscription income, and we have also become an attractive potential recipient of lavish tax-beneficial bequests from any of you considering your wills. Donations from other well-wishers would be eagerly welcomed because, as already intimated, a considerable number of owners do not pay membership subscriptions and this fact restricts what can and should be done for our community and which contributes to enhancing the value of your property. The new road has done wonders in this regard. So far we have collected just over R12 000 in subscriptions this year at R300 per annum.
If the current outstanding subs are paid we could bring in a further R7 500 which would, for instance, enable us to plant more trees and bushes and re-establish the fynbos at a faster pace!
DANGER! Integrated Zoning Scheme (IZS)
This issue may seem as remote as the threat of climate change but it holds huge potential for threatening both the quality of life at Misty Cliffs and the value of our properties. We have mentioned this matter in earlier newsletters and it bears a recap. The declared main objective of the IZS is to promote residential densification throughout the Unicity area, and once the matter has been finalized and promulgated it will become law and is likely to be vigorously pursued.
Initially it was conceived as a one-size-fits-all plan mainly to simplify and expedite the procedures for development of all kinds, and to rationalize the related land-use, architectural and building guidelines. In addition, apart from practicalities, there is, not surprisingly, a determined political factor involved.
The authorities were at first reluctant to entertain provision for exclusions because that would defeat the purpose of simplifying approvals and also might conflict with the political objectives. However, good sense prevailed and it was recognized that what might be practicable on flat ground in a side street would be unworkable and/or undesirable on a rocky mountain slope adjoining a valuable scenic route. It was also recognized that there would be a trade-off between multiplying the number of rateable structures on a given stand and diminishing the rateable value of existing or projected single structures. There are also issues not necessarily directly connected with owners, such as the availability of municipal services and transport routes to cater for denser populations.
A third draft of the IZS document is now being perused against an acute time constraint. Misty Cliffs and Scarborough have provided input over the whole study period and, fortunately, this has been strengthened by channelling most of the inputs through a surprisingly unified Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance (GCTCA). Although these inputs play an important role, there is no guarantee that the final document will incorporate all the common sense amendments and suggestions being put forward. As with all such matters there is always the possibility that "higher authority" remote from the real issues has a different agenda.
Attending to this extremely serious matter involves a tremendous amount of work and private time of already very busy people. This is critical work, especially because once the final IZS is promulgated it will become pretty well impossible to revise it.
Working on this sort of thing and giving of personal time is demanding for committees, not only ours, and is one of the reasons why if you are unable to contribute through joining the committee we would urge you to contribute through paying your R300 subscription and support those owners who are. We all stand to benefit and it is a shame that some do not contribute.
Polluted beach
Towards the end of August a large amount of old waste suddenly appeared strewn along the Witsands beach and reaching all the way to Scarborough. This was traced to an old Divisional Council waste dump under the dunes. Because of heavy rain the impounded water behind the dunes unexpectedly breached through on the seaward side and gouged through the sand, taking some of the underlying waste with it. This was rapidly cleaned up by the Unicity Environmental Management Services team, assisted by Coastcare. A plan is being developed to create a longer-term solution of this inherited problem, and the plan will take account of the nature of dunes, which is continual movement.
Baboons
We haven't been much troubled by baboons of late. The troop which commonly invades our area is known as the Groot Olifantsbos group, comprising about 28 individuals including two mature males still competing for alpha glory. A third male in the troop has become a loner and wanders around Scarborough and Misty Cliffs but is hardly a nuisance. For some time now our monitors have very successfully kept the troop confined within the nature reserve area.
We are greatly concerned, however, about Jenni Trethowan who is so dedicated to her Baboon Matters outfit and was recently much in the news in connection with the apparently dieldrin-poisoned baboons from Kommetjie. Jenni became seriously ill with what is thought to be a combination of a common virus with something she may have contracted from baboons. Although no longer hospitalized Jenni remains ill and weak and is being looked after elsewhere. For the time being, therefore, her popular baboon walks have been suspended.
Financing of the monitors remains a critical problem and this will get worse before and if it gets better. It is not only a concern for the control of baboons but also for employment continuity for the monitors who have been taught a lot about their charges and are amazingly dedicated and interested. Scarborough and Misty Cliffs are contributing towards the costs, but the bulk still needs to come from official sources which are unwilling to routinely budget for the commitment.
Building
Since our last (July/August) newsletter there have been no plans submitted for approval of new developments or alterations, and we are still awaiting a response from the authorities with regard to the situation on Erf 29.
Tell Us !
We have not heard from you! Contributions to our (your) newsletter would be welcomed. Don't hold back if you can't write or spell; we'll fix up what you offer and we'll tell no one about your rotten education. We're particularly interested in complaints and suggestions, and we thicken our skins and never take offence.
Contact any of us:
Doug Tunbridge, chairman. Member communications, 786-3842.
Lyn Mossop, treasurer. SUBSCRIPTIONS (and donations, bequests etc), 780-1178.
Leon Morris. Community matters, monitoring legislation, etc, 780-1256.
Richard Court. Baboons, website, new legislation, "special area" stuff, 083-376-9933.
Schalk Visser. Building and plans, 881-3024.
Tim Anderson. Minutes, newsletter, environment, 674-2834.