The Table Bay Nature Reserve is an 880-hectare-large area which consists of the following areas – Rietvlei Wetlands, Milnerton Lagoon, Milnerton Beach, Milnerton Racecourse, Zoarvlei Wetlands, Diep River, and the Parklands Fynbos Corridor. Here you can find both seasonal and permanent wetlands, which is surrounded by the Cape Flats sand fynbos vegetation.
The Greater Table View Action Forum is a group of residents who have been advocating for the City of Cape Town to take action over the poor quality of water in the area. Residents have noted that infrastructure is aging, sewerage spills over and that backyard dwellers are also increasing in number.
The Rietvlei Wetland is the floodplain of Diep River between Milnerton and Table View, and drains into Table Bay via the Milnerton Lagoon. Many habitats are also found within this wetland, including a permanent freshwater lake, an estuarine lagoon with a salt marsh which flows into the sea, and many reed beds.
A recent report by the City’s water and waste directorate has stipulated that water samples taken from the nature reserve indicate that the Diep River estuary is contaminated by over 99 000ml of e.coli.
“As our critical Bio Diversity is destroyed by the City of Cape town our political leaders feel its more important to engage in a power struggle. This is the result of rampant over development and leaders who are more concerned about personal power than the service delivery they are employed and paid by us to ensure is delivered,” the Table View Development Concerned Citizen Coalition said in a statement.
This group formed to monitor applications submitted to oppose things such as large property developments and parking lots from being built there.
“The development process is heavily skewed in favor of the applicant / developer. In the cases we have investigated the advertising process is flawed and run by developers. Objectors are given a minimum period (30 days) to object. City of Cape Town planning professionals are appointed to ‘ensure the application is successful’ whilst objectors have no professional help from the City of Cape Town. In most cases objections and appeals are rejected by the city for technical reasons with no regards for the views or the well being of the community,” the Table View Development Concerned Citizen Coalition said.
Picture: Greater Table View Action Forum