PeoplesPost Grassy Park/Retreat E-edition 30 September 2025

Tuesday, 30 September 2025

Over 30 young police officers are hoping to protect and safeguard the communities in Grassy Park, Lotus River and the surrounding areas

The young men and women were officially introduced and honoured during a welcoming ceremony that was held at the Subcouncil 18 offices in Lotus River near the public library on Thursday 25 September

The officers will be operating and

serving in wards 65, 66, 67, 68, 72 and 110, said Ward 72 councillor

Kevin Southgate

The news of the law enforcement deployment comes in the wake of the crippling gang violence plaguing the local communities

In Overcome Heights near Muizenberg, a total of eight people were shot dead in less than a week, in August, prompting calls for more police visibility

“When we started this financial

year we all boasted that the City is committed to placing five additional law enforcement officers in every ward and were patiently waiting for that day As the City was rolling out the programme, Subcouncil 18 was getting anxious with all the gang violence in our area and we were saying we need more boots on the ground So here we are today we have our new Neighbourhood Saftey Officers (NSO)'s with us who are part of a group of 700 officers that have

trained and graduated from the academy, ” said Southgate

The NSO’s are providing dedicated policing in each ward

Various ward councillors, including Geraldine Gordon, Shannen Rossouw, William Akim, Donovan Nelson and Marita Petersen attended the event

Among the officials mentoring the officers are Sergeant Alvino Knight, over 30 years of policing experience and Sergeant Dowad Miller who

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Acting Police Minister, Firoz Cachalia recently announced that in the last six months into August almost 120 young people under the age of 18 were shot resulting in 23 deaths Children under the age of 14 accounted for five of these deaths with 41 wounded

Since August, he said murders have increased by 18% compared to the same period last year

People's Post reached out to the City but they could

Alterationstirsdiscourse

NAMHLAMONAKALI

The amendment of the Intestate Succession Act earlier this month has not only stirred legal discussions but has also revived deeper questions about memory, heritage, and lineage

The modification, which updates the current Intestate Succession Act of 1987, the primary piece of legislation that governs how estates are distributed when someone dies without a valid will, seeks to close long-standing gaps in inheritance law that historically left women and children vulnerable Parliament’s move aligns inheritance rights with constitutional principles of equality But in the heart of Cape Town, where the scars of forced removals

still shape daily life, the new law is being interpreted through a different lens: heritage

For the District Six Museum, inheritance is more than a matter of property or assets It is about the preservation of memory, the recognition of belonging, and the safeguarding of cultural traditions that were deliberately fractured by apartheid-era laws

“In District Six, dispossession meant that families were not only stripped of their homes but of their lineage,” said Chrischene Julius, director of the District Six Museum “Inheritance here is not just about wills and succession It is about who inherits the right to tell our stories, who gets to preserve the memory of a place once erased from the map, and how those traditions live on in our children ”

ITISABOUTWHO INHERITSTHERIGHT TOTELLOURSTORIES

The Museum has spent decades collecting oral histories and artefacts that keep alive the memory of families uprooted during the Group Areas Act

According to curators, the debate over inheritance laws today resonates with this painful history because it raises questions about whose memory is valued and how families can claim back not just assets but cultural dignity

Cultural activist Solomzi Nyezi echoed this view, noting that inheritance systems are deeply tied to identity

“Heritage lives in our names, in our practices, and in how we pass down traditions When the law changes, it reshapes the ways families think about lineage and custodianship of memory, ” he said The Women’s Legal Centre Trust, meanwhile, has welcomed the law as a necessary protection for vulnerable groups but warns that without awareness campaigns, its impact may be limited “Communities must be educated about their rights if they are to claim them Otherwise, the promise of the law remains only on paper, ” the Centre noted In District Six and across the challenge remains how to ensure that the law not only protects property but also strengthens the inheritance of memory, tradition, and cultural identity

ThousandsofmenexpectedatMightyMen

For the first time in Cape Town’s history, 30 000 men will gather on Saturday 1 November at Athlone Stadium for a free Mighty Men event This historic moment is a direct response to decades of gang violence and brokenness on the Cape Flats - and a collective statement that enough is enough

On Friday morning 19 September, approximately 200 church and community leaders gathered in Athlone to prepare for this milestone event The Mighty Men Cape Flats event, which is free to attend, aims to bring together men from across Cape Town and South Africa to reclaim their communities and restore hope and healing

The movement forms part of Radio Tygerberg 104FM’ s “Healing the City” initiative, launched last year after a report in a local newspaper highlighted that 121 people had died in just two weeks due to gang violence - a tragedy that no longer

even made front-page news

“We simply could not remain silent any longer The loss of life and pain on the Cape Flats deeply moved us This Mighty Men Cape Flats event is a response to the cry of the community,” said Hardus Zevenster, chief executive of the Bloudruk Group, of which Radio Tygerberg is a part

Speakers announced at Friday’s event include inspirational men who themselves grew up in gang-ridden areas

Well-known author, singer, and media personality Johnny Davids, and Ivor Swartz, also an author and now a pastor, will be among the speakers

The keynote speaker is world-renowned evangelist Angus Buchan, who last spoke in Mitchells Plain in 2018 Although he no longer travels or speaks as frequently, he felt called to be part of this event

“I truly believe that the men of

Cape Town have the potential to lead their families and communities toward healing and restoration This movement reminds men of their God-given purpose, ” explained Buchan

Music will also play a central role at the gathering

Neville D - breakfast show host on Radio Tygerberg and Grammy-nominated artist - will lead the music programme on the day, accompanied by a band and an impressive 100-man choir

A movement of hope and transformation, The Mighty Men Cape Flats gathering is the result of requests from church and community leaders working with Radio Tygerberg to find practical solutions for the community

Other community radio stations are also helping to mobilise for the event “Life on the Cape Flats is relentless The violence, the loss of life, the trauma that unfolds daily

devastates families and our community,” said Pastor Theo Roman of the Open Assemblies of God

He adds: “We believe and pray that this gathering will equip men to rediscover their roles as leaders, fathers, and role models, so that healthy families and stronger communities can grow ”

The event starts at 14:00 and ends at 20:00

Gates open at midday Although free, booking is through itickets co za

The lost art of listening and caring

human cruelty is an indestructible weed that keeps growing and returning as the centuries pass

on our cellphones, ranging from assassinations, attacks and heated arguments

“The purpose of propaganda is to make one set of people forget that the other sets of people are human ’’

These few words from the late author Aldoux Huxely are a simple mantra when it comes to understanding the dangers that ideologies on race, religion, gender and politics, can cause violent and catastrophic results for our society History constantly shows us how cruel and senseless the World Wars were, the thousands of innocent lives, lands and precious parts of ancient history and culture lost through colonisation and the after-effects we still feel today The horrors of the Holocaust, American slavery and apartheid have become petrifying and painful reminders for the youth and the old who remember what life was like in these eras Now the younger generations can only imagine and gasp at the inhumanity of the Nazi’s and slave owners who dedicated their lives to terrifying another human being with whip lashes and death when they see artefacts of oppression such as gas chambers and the photograph of Hector Petersen when visiting history museums However, it seems this thirst for

The 1800’s can appear so barbaric and heartless when one thinks of the limited freedoms afforded women, the fact that they couldn’t vote and were told to enjoy being housewives Yet we see gender based violence and harrasment still terrorising our women of today in homes, shopping malls and work offices

Now it appears eerily evident that there’s a cloud of cynicism and hostility hovering and brewing above our ever-evolving society in 2025 I recall in the mid two thousands, ‘‘trolling” was seen as a juvenile and loathsome act linked to cyberbullying and now it seems every second person is anonymously poking fun at someone online and saying their “ new song is trash” These days it seems there’s so much contempt spreading on social media and bleeding into our social circles when it comes to opinions being shared on religion, gender, policies, climate change, wars and the list goes on

The irony is that this kind of content brews hatred and can be triggering for some but the algorithms could care less how much harm and cyberbullying is being caused as it’s increasing traction and clicks for their platforms With the swipe of a finger violent content is more easily shared than ever

As we all know money talks, and why would the safety regulators on social media care if the youth or emotionally vulnerable are witnessing this disturbing videos when it boosts their profit and skyrockets the number of users downloading their apps?

Often we see parents handing their children tablets to keep them entertained with some already having their own YouTube accounts and subscriptions Hopefully their profiles are on a restricted mode seeing how unfiltered and graphic content have become recently Attention spans are already endangered the more we absorb bite-sized reels and doom-scroll the nights away and numb our emotions Content creators are also feeding their audiences their ideologies, creating an endless stream of likes, shares and subscribers The more the messages resonates with them, the more they wish to share this, connect with similarly minded individuals who can join their causes and “fight the enemy ’’ Our society is more divided than ever during Donald Trump’s presidency with the Republicans and Democrats increasingly villifying and mocking each other online, in the news and even during family and friend debates at home It’s become impossible to avoid loud

and passionate arguments when the state of Palestine and war on Gaza has entered the conversation, with seemingly people preferring to argue their differing points on the issue instead of finding some common ground and understanding with one another The fact that women, children and fathers are being killed should bear the most prominence Instead we find people argueing it’s the “collateral damage” You also keep hearing about the radical right or left wing parties that are being categorised as terrorists who are a threat to our communities, young generations and could influence and “propogate” their philosophies to the world Each opposing thought group says the other is spreading false information instead of trying to see themselves in each other and trying to have a healthy and wholesome dialogue without demonising but rather understanding I fear that the more we misunderstand each other, the more we push each other away, making the act of conversation as risky and dangerous as walking on ice

The Bible says: “Love thy neighbour” irrespective of race, religion and gender, three ancient words that should remind us to choose empathy and approach each other with grace, dignity and respect Hopefully we can see a reflection of ourselves and instead of an “ enemy ”

Heritage Day protest at Gilray

KEANANHARMSE

Agroup of residents, impassioned in their quest to protect the history and heritage of the old Gilray Scout Campsite in Klip Road, Grassy Park against being auctioned off, staged a protest outside the property.

At 10:00 on the morning of Heritage Day, Wednesday 24 September, over 20 protesters, their placards held aloft, staged a peaceful protest and organised a petition, which garnered about 5 000 signatures

Organised by the local Save Gilray Committee (SGC), the gathering was against the prospective sale of the The Gilray site, Erf 75571, at 1 Klip Road, which has a significant history for residents and its surrounds

The City of Cape Town is currently reviewing its options relating to the site, including its possible revamping

The Gilray Scout Camp, which dates back to the 1950s, has become dilapidated and overgrown, particularly after constant targeting by vandals in recent years

“Our demands are still to prevent the sale and rapid disposal of Gilray,” said SGC spokesperson Moira Manuel “We want to ensure public participation on all land-related decisions and to prioritise a community led development and social benefit We must also hold the municipal structures accountable to a democratic process ”

The group opposed all forms of sale, alienation, leasing or development “Gilray belongs to the people, not to private interests,” Manuel said “So we insist that no sale, lease or development by third parties be pursued until such time as the community’s preferred development vision is fully tabled, adopted and incorporated into the City’s planning frameworks ”

The group has already handed the City a Memorandum of Interest and was preparing

to hand a petition calling for a moratorium on any sale or development of the property on Friday 3 October at its councillors’ meeting

“The petition was started about a month ago, ” Manuel said, “and to date we have ±4000 votes on paper and ±1000 on electronic ”

The City confirmed the future use of the property was still under review

The City’s Economic Growth Directorate stated: “The future use of the property is still under review This process includes consultations with

low the due statutory process, including public participation

Ward 65 councillor Donovan Nelson said there is no confirmation that the property will be auctioned off

“This decision has not been made yet and we still need to finalise matters around the property Currently, the ward committee has given the go ahead to seek alternative ways for the property to be utilised, including disposing of it so that the private sector- who has the means and budget, can invest in Grassy Park in a

meaningful way, “ he said “We will continue to reach out to the community through our invitations to our meetings We will keep them informed and request their involvement in our plight to save Gilray We are also getting their ideas on what they envision the land should be used for Our main plans are to hand the moratorium to the City ”

The SGC is hosting an open meeting today (30 September) at 19:00 at the Grassy Park Civic Centre

Zwaanswyk kids take guests back

Orpheus McAdoo at Artscape

Following its acclaimed premiere in October last year Orpheus McAdoo returns to Artscape Theatre from Tuesday 21 October to Sunday 2 November

Written and directed by South African theatre legend David Kramer, this stirring musical celebrates the true story of Orpheus McAdoo and his Virginia Jubilee Singers, a choir of African-American performers who toured South Africa in the 1890s and took the Cape by storm At the centre of this moving production is Conroy Scott in the title role A distinguished Cape Town Opera House Soloist, Scott brings vocal gravitas and deep emotional resonance to the role of McAdoo, a visionary who faced the complexities of race, performance and identity while introducing South African audiences to American spirituals and jubilee singing for the first time

Scott is joined by Cape Town Opera (CTO)

House Soloist Brittany Smith as Mattie Allen and a cast that uniquely blends opera singers and stage actors, creating a musical texture that is both theatrically rich and vocally thrilling With its evocative mix of old spirituals, ragtime, early American folk and South African musical influences, Orpheus McAdoo gives audiences a sonic and emotional journey through a little-known but powerful chapter of Cape Town’s past Kramer’s script and original compositions are layered with authenticity and compassion, weaving together true history with artistic imagination The inclusion of traditional spirituals gives the show its beating heart songs once sung in bondage now lifted in concert halls across continents

The story follows McAdoo and his wife Mattie as they navigate love, ambition, cultural collision and the pressure of being Black performers in colonial-era South Africa

As their jubilee choir travels the country, they