MAGALIESSIG Action Forum “MAF - Working for a better and safer suburb”

Chairman’s Report on MAF’s Activities: 2018 - 2019

6 November 2019

INTRODUCTION: Mary Hanna

Magaliessig Action Forum (MAF) was formed in early 2010 when residents learnt of plans to build a Makro Mega-Store in Magaliessig. MAF has evolved into a fully-fledged Residents Association and attends to many other important aspects that affect the lives of Magaliessig residents. It has been another busy year as we endeavour to maintain and improve our suburb of Magaliessig. The work undertaken is divided into specific portfolios and we sincerely thank and greatly appreciate the Portfolio Leaders and Committee Members (all of whom work in a totally voluntary capacity) for their efforts on behalf of the Magaliessig community.

In order to maintain the significance of this report it covers the period from AGM to AGM i.e. November 2018 to November 2019 and does not follow the financial year – 1 March to 28 February.

PASSING OF DENIS GRACE: Mary Hanna

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of Denis Grace in January 2019. Denis served as a Director and Treasurer of MAF from 2011. We send our condolences to Lucille and her entire family. Denis served MAF with great diligence and we miss him deeply.

WELCOME TO DERRICK THECK: Mary Hanna

Derrick, a retired accountant and a resident of Merrow Down, willingly agreed to accept the honorary position of Treasurer of MAF. We appreciate Derrick’s meticulous attention to detail and his cheerfulness.

MAKRO – BUILDERS WAREHOUSE: Mary Hanna

MAF has been fighting the proposed development of a Makro super store in Magaliessig for almost 10 years – since February 2010. It has been a protracted and gruelling battle which we eventually WON! The new Makro store has been built elsewhere.

However, the “WAR” continued because Massmart and Massbuild then wished to relocate the Pineslopes Builders Warehouse to Magaliessig.

Magaliessig Action Forum, NPC - Registration No. 2011/010714/08 Directors 2018-19: Stephen G Appleton*, Mary Hanna (chairman), Mike Hogan (* = British) Mailing address: Magaliessig Action Forum NPC, c/o Merrow Down Country Club, P/Bag X11, Bryanston, 2021 Website: http://www.magaliessig.co.za Email address: [email protected] Phone: +27-83-654-4357 MAGALIESSIG Action Forum

The High Court review proceedings, instituted by MAF, to review and set aside the decision of the MEC of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development to approve the Makro rights continued. During the course of this litigation we have also been coordinating with the City of (CoJ) which concurs with our stance on the potential Massmart development in a residential area.

We were informed in late 2018 that Massbuild would not construct a Builders Warehouse in Magaliessig due to the escalating legal costs and the lack of return on the original investment of R105 million when the land was purchased in November 2008.

As reported at the last AGM, in early October 2018 Patrick Mundell, our attorney, received a request from Massmart’s attorney enquiring whether we would consider settlement of the litigation. Our response was that we might be amenable to settlement if Massmart withdrew the current zoning rights (for a Makro) and submitted a fresh application for higher residential density rights with some ancillary retail rights. Johannesburg City Council is also amenable to some form of settlement.

In the interim, pending settlement negotiations, it was agreed that the legal proceedings would be suspended in order to ensure that no unnecessary further legal costs were incurred.

Repeated requests to Massmart’s attorneys have not elicited any positive response to the settlement proposal. In September 2019 Patrick Mundell received a letter from Massmart’s attorneys informing him that their client proposed to sell the land and requested that the litigation proceedings be suspended until a prospective purchaser was in place whereupon settlement negotiations could continue.

Subsequently we received notification (from another source) that the land would be sold by High Street Auction Co on Private Bid on 15 November. In the documentation available to potential investors or purchasers no mention is made of the pending litigation instituted by MAF and CoJ. The current zoning is stated as ‘Undetermined’, although “there are Approved Conditions of Establishment allowing for ‘Business 1’ zoning and the development of a maximum of 20,000m2 of bulk on the site”. These are the rights which are applicable to the Makro application and which are the subject of the High Court review. Our attorneys have advised that Massmart would be legally obliged to inform any prospective purchaser of the current litigation and our attorneys have raised the issue with Massmart’s attorneys, who have confirmed that they will do so. We will nevertheless continue to monitor this situation closely together with our attorneys. The worst-case scenario is that the litigation may have to continue.

MAF will continue to do everything legitimate in its power to protect the residential area of Magaliessig and its surrounds from the unwelcome and intrusive establishment of any inappropriate development.

We may still have a long road to travel and the continued support of concerned residents is crucial to ultimate success in this matter.

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This has been a long and difficult process so far, almost 10 years! We are extremely fortunate to have had the support of our different experts: legal, road engineer, town planner, and market research professionals who have all advised and assisted us.

Our attorney, Patrick Mundell, has been exceptional throughout this process. How fortunate it is for MAF that Patrick believes so fervently in justice and is as passionate about this issue as we are. Apart from time spent on preparation for hearings and attendance at hearings, Patrick has advised us on all legal aspects in this matter since Oct 2012 on a pro bono basis. His generosity to us is immeasurable.

FINANCE REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR ENDED 28 FEBRUARY 2019: Derrick Theck

It is my great pleasure to submit my report on the financial results for the past financial year and on the current and future financial position of the Magaliessig Action Forum.

 Passing of Denis Grace

It is with sadness that I must report the passing of Denis Grace in January 2019. Denis applied himself diligently from inception of the Forum. The Board wishes to express their sincere appreciation for Denis’ contribution during his term of office. He will be sorely missed.

 Review of the past financial year

The 2018/2019 financial year can be considered successful from a financial point of view as total revenue exceeded total expenditure by R29 684, whereas in 2018 revenue fell short of expenditure by R32 034.

The main contributor to this turnaround was Operating Revenue, which increased by 55% from R230 827 in 2018 to R357 165 in 2019.

The major income and expenditure items consisted of:

1. Subscriptions more than doubled from R7 160 in 2018 to R14 860 in 2019;

2. Donations to the CCTV project increased by 44% from R218 870 in 2018 to R315 123 in 2019.

3. Fund raising activities brought in R24 293, the main contributors being R15 110 from the GO concert, R3 490 from the sale of snacks, etc., R2 642 from White Ellie sales and R1 509 from a car boot sale;

4. Legal costs paid in respect of the Makro/Builders Warehouse confrontation amounted to R52 432. Members generously contributed R25 800 towards these costs.

5. Security costs associated with the CCTV cameras and off-site monitoring thereof increased by 10% to R269 286;

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6. Web-site development costs of R8 265 were considered by the directors to no longer be of monetary value and were written off.

 Cash and cash equivalents

The successful financial performance of the Forum for the 2019 financial year resulted in the cash and cash investments growing by R25 364 (for the 2018 financial year there was an outflow of cash of R17 394). At 28 February 2019 the Forum was in a satisfactory financial position with cash and cash equivalents amounting to R56 266.

 Forecast for 2019/2020 financial year

The Forum has continued to operate successfully in the 2019/2020 financial year.

The directors are of the opinion that based on the cash flow forecast for the year to February 2020 and the current financial position, the Forum has adequate resources to continue to operate successfully for the foreseeable future.

MAF CCTV PROJECT: Mike Hogan

The CCTV project has been in operation for nearly 4 years and whilst we have had some good successes, the impact has been constrained by the restriction on coverage due to limited financial support.

The cameras are the first point of call when an incident occurs and residents clamour for footage but the last thing in mind when it comes to volunteering to join the regular contributors.

Having said that, MAF salutes those loyal supporters who have contributed over the years and without whom the project would surely have failed.

The point is the potential of the project will never be fully realized until support grows exponentially and this is unfortunate as the cameras certainly act as a deterrent.

On a positive note, fibre connectivity is almost about to begin which will migrate from line of sight radio transmission to digital connection and will improve picture quality in the process.

The Directors have debated the camera issue in depth and in fairness to those who continue to contribute, the time has perhaps come to put alternatives to the vote - do we continue with the cameras on a limited budget or do we rather spend that money on another form of protection such as an armed response contract with a security company whereby we have a vehicle or motorcycle dedicated to and based in Magaliessig on a constant patrol basis?

MAF will shortly put this out to tender to assess the costs and will revert to residents with firm proposals.

SECURITY: Jeff Goutier

The Douglasdale SAPS precinct is divided into 4 policing sectors, each managed by a Sector Manager. Magaliessig is placed in Sector 4 which incorporates the following major areas:

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Beverly; Blandford Ridge; Blue Heaven; ; Lonehill; Magaliessig; Magaliesview; Norscot; Palmlands, Pineslopes. Major public centres such as the Montecasino complex, and the Kingfisher, Lonehill, Pineslopes, Fourways Crossing and Leaping Frog shopping centres are also contained within sector 4.

Sector 4 has contributed only 14% to crime in the Douglasdale Precinct top three crime statistics, the top 3 crimes being:

 House Robberies; Smash and Grab; Theft out of Motor Vehicle.

The majority of house robberies take place in Lonehill, Fourways and Beverly. Magaliessig has fewer because there are fewer free-standing houses in the suburb. Smash and grabs in and around Magaliessig and theft out of motor vehicles at Pineslopes and Fourways Crossing are the main crimes in Magaliessig but criminals are now targeting complexes with swing-gates but no on-site security. They use a car to force access. Many of these robberies take place at or around midday. People need to be more vigilant at home and they need to make domestic staff more aware and not leave doors open.

MAF, represented by Jeff Goutier and Steve Appleton, participate in the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum and its Sector 4 activities. This brings great value to the security portfolio in that an awareness of crime trends is gained and used to good effect in the community. The regular monthly CPF Sector 4 meetings are used to bring issues affecting Magaliessig to the attention of the SAPS and JMPD. This also permits direct contact with our SAPS Douglasdale Sector 4 Manager Captain Celliers and Douglasdale Station Commander Brigadier Veeshani Arikum.

For information on the activities of the Douglasdale CPF please go to http://ddcpf.co.za.

The Community Policing Forum along with Douglasdale SAPS and security companies have conducted 23 smash and grab awareness campaigns in 2019 on the corners of Robin/Main, Main/Witkoppen, Leslie/William Nicol and Kingfisher/William Nicol. Despite this, people insist on driving with their windows down, cellphones in hand with handbags and laptops on seats. This encourages criminals to operate in our area as people make themselves easy targets. We all know about the smash and grab activities taking place but until such time as the community changes behaviour, this problem will not reduce or go away.

Awareness campaigns have also been carried out in Pineslopes and Fourways Crossing to ensure people lock cars and avoid the danger of leaving items visible on seats.

OSM monitors the MAF cameras in the neighbourhood but the MAF network cannot provide complete coverage due to lack of financial participation by residents. Many people living in complexes believe they are secure. However, venturing as one inevitably must into public streets is a different story. Should complexes wish to install cameras at the entrance to their complexes, they are welcome to contact MAF for advice with costing and linking to the MAF network.

A Domestic Workers Awareness Forum held in March was not well attended. The purpose of the Forum is to make domestic staff more aware of the environment and to recognise risks

P a g e | 5 MAGALIESSIG Action Forum and report them to the SAPS. It also covers basic first aid knowledge. It is planned to hold another Forum in early 2020 and residents are encouraged to send their domestic workers to this hour-long session.

There has been an increase in the number of taxis driving down Troupant into oncoming traffic – the JMPD is aware of this but a more disturbing concern is that other motorists are now also participating in this illegal behaviour.

We ask all community members to report this illegal behaviour to JMPD via a WhatsApp hotline (081 410 6338).

FUND RAISING AND SOCIAL: Jane Hughes

The aim of this portfolio is not only to raise funds for MAF but to unite all residents of Magaliessig by holding social events and to create awareness of the issues, good and bad, which exist in the suburb. By supporting these events, and encouraging others to subscribe to a MAF membership, we can ensure that MAF remains a driving force in Magaliessig.

In April this year, we organized an Easter Egg Hunt, which, despite a poor turnout was enjoyed by adults and children alike.

Then in July we held our first Quiz Night, which was great fun and which we hope will be a regular event.

These two events raised about R2000.00 for MAF funds.

In addition to social events, we also raise funds with the occasional Car Boot Sale. To assist in this, we ask that if you have any old clothes, particularly shoes and handbags, you contact Jane who will collect your contributions.

ROADS: Mary Hanna

Regular requests have been lodged with CoJ over a number of years for

 the resurfacing of Troupant and Sangster,

 decreasing the size of the island at Design Quarter;

 widening the feed-in slip lane going left past the Gautrain bus stop from Leslie into William Nichol. This is a Provincial road and issue, so assistance is even more unlikely.

No positive response has been received for these issues “due to lack of budget”. Other issues that would ease the traffic problems are:

 the removal of the “nib” at the top of Sangster. Awkward manoeuvres have to be made when driving east along Troupant prior to turning left into Sangster to avoid cars driving up Sangster.

 white lines on Sangster that might encourage motorists to drive on the correct side of the road.

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The upgrading of the Witkoppen/Leslie/Merrow intersection has been completed and definitely assists traffic flow, particularly at peak hours. In time, Leslie will eventually be constructed through the road reserve to connect Witkoppen Rd to William Nicol and thus avoid most of the heavy traffic congestion on Troupant.

Requests have been made for speed humps to be built on “Glenian Corner” on Troupant to mitigate the frequent accidents in that area. A survey would have to be conducted to obtain 70% of residents’ approval for humps and the cost of R20, 000 per speed hump (several needed) would be for the residents’ own account.

GENERAL: Mary Hanna

Alwyn Smith retired recently as the MAF Secretary. She carried out the secretarial duties of MAF with great diligence and enthusiasm and we thank her for her many years of dedication.

We are extremely grateful to Merrow Down Country Club’s Body Corporate for their consideration in allowing MAF to hold our regular Committee meetings on the premises and making their facilities freely available to us. It would be difficult to find another venue as attractive and convenient as Merrow Down.

My personal thanks go to the MAF committee members for their assistance, hard work, commitment and perseverance throughout the year and together, with the support of the community, we look forward to a successful year ahead.

Mary Hanna Chairman Magaliessig Action Forum, NPC

Issued by Magaliessig Action Forum, NPC.

Website: http://www.magaliessig.co.za

Chairman: Mary Hanna

Phone: +27-83-654-4357

Email: [email protected]

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