Muizenberg’s ward councillor says she is open to ideas from the public on how best to maintain the suburb’s iconic beach huts after a City proposal to remove some of them was met with outrage.
Social media exploded when the City said it wanted to remove some of the east-side huts near the river mouth that were in poor condition and no longer used (“City plan for beach huts,” Echo, August 3).
Ward councillor Aimee Kuhl had asked for input on the issue and she got the message in bucket-loads: hands off our huts.
A week after the initial story broke and in the wake of the social media tsunami that followed, Ms Kuhl told the Echo it had been “great to see how passionate Muizenberg is about the boxes” and “although it has been portrayed otherwise – at no point was I in favour of removing all of them, and I fully understand the value they have”.
She said she operated in a “complex space where all factors need to be considered” and although she did not have authority over City officials or departments. “I do take communicating my community’s concerns to the City, very serious-
ly”.
She said the City was under “huge pressure to deliver basic services to a growing population” and tackle past injustices.
“I’m not saying that this means preserving heritage is not equally important, but we need to all be aware of the reality we are operating in,” she said.
She said the City did not have the money to maintain all of the huts in Ward 64.
“Some of them are structurally unsafe and illegal activities have been taking place in them. But I can – and do – take a stand when my constituents voice their objections,” Ms Kuhl said.
“I am more than willing to accept proposals on how a community body in Muizenberg can maintain and manage the east-side bathing boxes. This public- private collaboration could add huge value for everyone involved,” she said.
Written proposals can be sent to aimee.kuhl@capetown.gov.
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