Kyalami community petitions against K56 road

Chairman of the Greater Kyalami Conservancy, Margie Donde is active about generating support against the road with a petition on the conservancy’s website.

“This fight is not about the road. This fight is about a whole community and all it stands for,” Donde said. “We are very aware that development breeds development.”

Bokamoso, which specialises in architecture and environmental management and planning said it was collecting and categorising the concerns they had received.

Donde said, “920 people have registered as interested parties with Bokamoso and we have had dozens of people sign the petition on the website.” She said about 800 people had signed the national and international petitions.

The Review previously reported that developers would fund sections of the road. In response Donde said, “The weight of ‘free’ infrastructure versus environmental issues means that development will win out every time.”

Ward councillor Annette Deppe said, “Unfortunately many of the environmental companies work for the client and the province, and when the province has gone into a deal with a developer prior to the Environmental Impact Assessment, it almost always is a fait accompli and all it takes after that is residents getting frustrated and legal action costs money and time.

Sadly our residents are compromised at every turn unless they fight tooth and nail to protect the investment they have made in their homes and the lifestyle they have bought into.”

Donde, Kristin Kallesen, chairman of the Just Environmental Action and Chris de Villiers, chairman of the Glenferness Residents Association agreed that the surrounding roads such as Summit (R562), Kyalami Main (R55) and Macgregor (Main) should be upgraded to avoid the road being built.

Deppe said she had heard of support for re-routing the K56. “I do believe that there is huge support from the residents who live in the areas of the conservancy and many stake holder groups that constantly fight for the protection of the wetlands in the city and the country. Re-routing the road is something the environmental company has to explore in the legal process of the Environmental Impact Assessment.”