United over Chartwell wetland
CHARTWELL - Public participation meeting to rectify the Chartwell wetland showcased the community’s will to work together.
Cedar Road marks the watershed for the Chartwell wetland. Zulu Nyala Country Manor, situated on the wetland, has been issued with an S24G rectification application for unlawful activities in the wetland. The wetland scored high as being under threat but there was a high chance it could be recovered.
The meeting was held by IxhaphoziEnviro Services and chaired by Paul Fairall, chairman of the Wetlands in Crisis Gauteng Wetland Forum to table the community’s issues on the S24G application to rectify the construction of infrastructure and in filling in the wetland by the country manor. City council did not attend the meeting in order to remain unbiased on other issues.
The final report will answer the community’s concerns and will be released to interested parties in July.
The application process began when Piet-Louis Grundling and Lulu Pretorius of the services were contacted by Zulu Nyala’s proxy Gary Purdon to assess the wetland and soon after, the Department of Water Affairs and city council visited the wetland and issued Zulu Nyala with a pre-directive to apply for a Water Use License for the activities in the wetland. This triggered an S24G to rectify the activities from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Around 20 community members attended the meeting and Grundling was pleased at the general support to rehabilitate the wetland and said, “My heart is for the wetland.”
The meeting explained the damage to the wetland and that the community had to work together as wetlands were not isolated.
Grundling showed residents using Google maps, how, along the wetland, the cultivation, pools, trees encroaching, drainage systems, fence posts, erosion and storm water were threatened.
Fairall warned if the wetland was not delineated, by 2020, there would be a donga at least two metres deep, moving backwards from the bottom of the wetland.
Jenni Brown of the Chartwell Country Estates Association said they would take Fairall’s offer to delineate the wetland. “It’s important for residents and business owners to work together and to put the funds behind the project to protect our wetland,” said Brown.
The association also asked Zulu Nyala to be more active in the association and Purdon said he would like to work with the members.
Details: Lulu Pretorius pretorius.lulu@gmail.com
