Good Day
I have long been concerned about homeless folk who have invaded the sensitive dune vegetation which extends from the beacon at Pollock Beach to the turn off into Cape Recife, along Marine Drive. As an athlete/cyclist I have become increasingly alarmed at the now obvious informal dwellings which have popped up in the sensitive dune vegetation, the resultant pollution, and the danger of encoutering these families along the glass strewn cycle path with Pick ‘n Pay trolleys and small children and dogs in tow. Running along Pollock Beach several times a week, I see these families with really small children, gathering around the ablution facility at the beacon. Informal shacks have sprung up in the bush, and I am very concerned that our city will be faced with a similar problem as has occurred in Seaview. I feel strongly that these people should be evacuated to a safe home environment, where there is proper sanitation, and they can be housed in a formal community or recognized settlement.
I am furthermore concerned about a single Black woman who appears to have been living around the ablution facility at Pollock Beach (in line with the Pipe), for atleast the past two years. She sits in the dunes close to the ablution facility, going about her daily rituals, clothing items and trash scattered around her, and yet another overturned Pick ‘n Pay trolley nearby.
I feel strongly that these beautiful beaches and the cycle path, the boardwalk, and the dunes, are for all to enjoy. These areas should be kept free of pollution and habitation. As tax payers we are in a position to demand that we have these folk removed and the vegetation cleared of any form of settlement and the trash which is littered everywhere.
I look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Patsy Laubscher
