BACK of port community consultation will have to wait, as the ward 66 councillor’s plea is voted down at a municipal meeting.
On Wednesday, 28 October ward 66 councillor, Duncan Du Bois asked for communities directly affected by port operations to be added the list of stakeholders. The proposal called for Clairwood residents to be included in the municipality and Transnet joint study into management of traffic and infrastructure for the proposed back of port expansion.
While motivating his request, Du Bois cited a report to the Exco that called for a “healthy balance to be factored into the situation where communities were directly affected by port operations so that they were not left out of the picture.”
Explaining why the consultation is necessary, the councillor said the heritage of Clairwood dates back to the 1890s and is being progressively destroyed by commercial and industrial expansion.
“The preamble of the Constitution exhorts citizens to ‘respect those who have worked to build and develop our country’.
Unfortunately, the proposal was rejected by the majority in the council and the city manager insisted that such consultation would come at a later stage.
My concern is that at that stage, their plans will be a fait accompli and the Clairwood community’s opinions will be meaningless,” said Du Bois.
