Maverick Citizen Op-ed: Bonteheuwel community group takes flak from DA councillor for their Covid-19 relief efforts

The multipurpose community centre in Bonteheuwel is a government-owned facility in the heart of the working class suburb. It was always a vibrant community hub hosting community meetings, weddings, karate and dance classes, church services and weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Removing rubbish and debris from the central courtyard of the Bonteheuwel Multipurpose Community Centre. In May, an agreement was signed between the manager and BH-JPF CAN, in which a rental amount was stipulated. Shortly afterwards, on 24 June, the manager notified community groups to collect any property they’d left behind at the facility before lockdown, so that it could be used as an isolation space during the pandemic.Over the past two months, the BH-JPF CAN, with the support of the Rondebosch CAN and members of other CANs across Cape Town, have begun restoring the MPC.

This is a gross misrepresentation for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that none of the community groups was using the facility due to lockdown and the centre’s state of disrepair. In addition, the facility has not been “hijacked” since the BH-JPF CAN has an agreement with the centre’s manager and is paying a monthly rental.

The model has been successfully implemented in Ocean View near Kommetjie, where the Ocean View CAN hasThere, the centre provides “home-away-from-home” care to residents needing somewhere to safely self-isolate while recovering from Covid-19. One of their most recent residents was a woman who shared her home with 10 other family members, some of whom are high risk. She did not want to leave her neighbourhood for a far-off government quarantine facility, but was unable to self-isolate at home.

Nadia Mayman is a Bonteheuwel-based community activist, media liaison for Bonteheuwel Joint Peace Forum, admin for the Bonteheuwel CAN, Chairperson of the Bonteheuwel Ratepayers and Tenants Association and deputy Chair for the Community Policing Forum Sector.

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