As the election dust settles, some of the new faces who will be taking up seats in the Blaauwberg Sub-Council spoke about the challenges they face and the changes they’d like to make in the wards they serve.
Taking over from veteran DA councillor Heather Brenner in Ward 107 (Parklands, sections of Table View and Sunningdale), the party’s Nicky Rheeder, says she is looking forward to helping her community.
“I have been living in Cape Town since 1999, and I have always been involved in my community as well as underprivileged communities in whichever city I have lived. I am currently the operations director for Missing Children SA pro bono and have been involved with the organisation for the past seven years.”
Ms Rheeder said tackling vagrancy in the ward would be one of her priorities.
“There is no quick fix to the problem, and we need to start looking for alternative solutions to implement in conjunction with the current efforts. I do not make promises I am not sure I can keep.
“For now, I can promise that I will prioritise issues in the ward and make work of them with all the resources available,” said Ms Rheeder.
Ms Rheeder said her door would always be open to constructive discussion on issues concerning the community.
“A councillor should be accessible to every individual in the community – regardless of status or political affiliation. I am hard- working and I am here to serve the community to the best of my ability,” said Ms Rheeder.
The DA’s Fabian Ah-Sing is the new face at the helm of Ward 55, which covers Century City, Sanddrift, Maconi Beam, Milnerton, Tygerhof, Rugby and Brooklyn. He replaces retired councillor Bernadette le Roux.
Mr Ah-Sing, who is working on a BCom honours degree part-time, grew up in Malibu Village, in Blue Downs. He said he had been doing voluntary community work since the age of 15.
“I have worked with troubled and underprivileged youth and, at age 15, I started a drum majorette club for primary school girls, in response to a very bad environment and situations to which the girls were exposed.
“At the age of 20, I joined the Edmund Rice Camps, where we helped care and provide love and support for children that are infected or affected with HIV,” said Mr Ah-Sing.
He said prostitution, drug addiction, by-law infringements, vagrancy, were some of the priority issues in the ward.
“My decision to run for council as the Ward 55 candidate came after months of working in various wards as a DA activist within the City of Cape Town.
“I knew that I wanted to stand as a candidate in a ward that is diverse and in which I can make a positive difference,” he said.
Mr Ah-Sing added that he wanted to ensure the provision of quality municipal services to all the residents and improve by-law enforcement in all areas.
He would also encourage residents to take part in neighbourhood watches, community police forums and ratepayers’ associations.
“The community can expect to have a councillor that is available, honest, competent and caring,” he said.
“Being accessible to the community is very important to me, this will enable me to at all times be informed of the changing needs of the community. I will have an open door policy at designated times on a regular basis.”
* Newly-appointed Ward 4 (Century City, Killarney Gardens, Milnerton, Montague Gardens, Potsdam, Summer Greens and areas in Table View) DA councillor Tando Jafta did not respond to our requests for comment before deadline.
