According to Ward 74 councillor Dave Fisher his ward, which borders around parts of Oxford Road all the way to Kew, shows two different worlds which he prefers to term, the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.
“There is a huge economic disparity between people in South Africa where some are employed and others are not hence, we need to get active residents who are willing to participate in the interests of improvement,” Fisher said.
Referring to the Melrose suburb, he said that most of the area was very old having been established in the 40s and 50s which means a lot of the infrastructure was very outdated and under strain. He quoted from Mayor Herman Mashaba’s speech where he said there was ‘R170 billion backlog in infrastructure development’, therefore there is a need to address that.
One way in which maintenance of infrastructure is carried out is through tariffs which the councillor said, unfortunately, had to be increased otherwise there would be no supply to necessary needs.
Fisher mentioned James and Ethel Gray Park which hosts birds and a lake which is an area that the communities still took pride in therefore encouraged their maintenance and preservation.
Such areas needed to be preserved whilst densification also needed to take place and be done properly.
The councillor said, “Residents have to follow due procedures, follow required re-zoning processes and densification will turn out to be a nice thing to do.”
Fisher said one had to focus on the ‘have-nots’ and ‘active citizenry’ was a must because that would mean citizens played their part. This seemed to be the case within the Melrose sectors as the Melrose Arch Birdhaven Ratepayers Association did a very good job in maintaining and participating in community activities.
The councillor was pleased to announce a few progressive developments. “The Orchids Clinic should be finished by the end of the year and will offer primary healthcare services. Also, the resurfacing of Oxford Road between Corlett Drive and Jellicoe Road is going well and the end results will be appreciated by motorists.”
Details: Ward 74 Councillor Dave Fisher dfisher@unique-technology.co.za
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