Newsletter, July 2015

VRHOA Newsletter – July 2015

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UPDATE ON THE PLANNED SECURITY FENCE

At the AGM held at the end of May 2015, plans were discussed to erect a fence around Van Riebeeckshof similar to that protecting the Oud Westhof area.

Cash flow constraints require a phase by phase approach starting from the Eskom substation. Difficulties in obtaining approval from Parks and Forest delayed the commencement of construction. Good news with regards to the latest status on this project:

1. We have received the necessary permission to proceed

2. Fang (the contractor) are on site as we speak

Finalisation of phase 1 & 2 is planned for September / October 2015 (weather permitting) with phase 3 being planned within this financial year. We are committed to keep you informed!

TELKOM – FIBRE TO THE HOME NETWORK (FTTH)

Telkom is currently installing an end to end fibre network in the area which will ultimately allow every home in the area to obtain access to same. This is a major upgrade to the existing copper and will make download speeds up to 100Mbit per second possible (5 times faster than the fastest ADSL). This will be done with the minimum disruption to our neighbourhood, however please note that the service provider may need to engage with you either in person or via mail (please check your post box). Telkom is aiming to have this installed by the end of 2015.

Please note you will not be limited to Telkom, as it is an open access network you can use any Internet Service Provider of your choice. Telkom is putting this infrastructure in at their own cost with the hope that home owners will take up there faster internet solutions.

MAJIK FOREST UPDATE

On 16 July 2015 a very successful operation was conducted by the various departments: Parks, Social Services and Displaced People Unit (DPU). They confirmed the following:

 DPU demolished 4 makeshift structures on the top end of magic forest and removed all building material from the bushes  DPU & Social Services removed 1 male vagrant from the bushes  A truckload full of litter was removed consisting of crates, building material, bedding etc.  WITH a promise that clean-up will continue

Community involvement in cleaning up the Majik Forest is of crucial importance and we welcome any suggestions.

SECURITY SUGGESTION / ADVISE

Additional lighting for your home security – consider security lightning when planning your security. Place them near the main entrances to the house, to keep those areas lit at night, especially when someone is approaching the house. The lights also help prevent others from knowing if someone is home or not.

Keep safe & keep warm!

Regards

Van Riebeeckshof Trustees

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ July 2015