Carolynne Franklin, Ward 71 councillor
The last few weeks have been particularly challenging for communities across the metro (“Ubuntu helps storm-hit Westlake recover,” Bulletin, July 25). The Cape of Storms has lived up to her name and residents of formal and informal areas, homeless, pets, and wildlife have all been impacted. Not to speak of the 18 mature trees – in Ward 71 alone – that have fallen. City teams have responded to over 19500 calls for electricity outages over this time.
The outpouring of care and compassion to alleviate the acute discomfort of those affected by the recent cold and rain, including those left without shelter, has been heart-warming and affirming of this amazing community. The sheer volume of warm and nourishing soup and stews being made and distributed has impacted on the vegetable and dry goods sales of some retail outlets that are sold out daily. This is community.
Blanket drives have sprung up out of nowhere, and I am aware of direct donations of over close to 350 having been distributed to homes, animal shelters, churches, food kitchens and to seniors’ groups in Ward 71, which includes Orchard Village, Norfolk Park, Retreat Industrial, Kirstenhof, Tokai, Constantia Hills, Nova Constantia and Westlake.
Tokai Library Knitting Group and Lyn’s Knitter Natters have also been making hundreds of knitted goods, such as scarves, beanies and bed socks for the needy. This too is community.
Not all community efforts involve donations. Some are unsolicited kindnesses such as cleaning a neighbour’s gutters (without being asked), or walking a dog after the owner has had major surgery, or clearing a storm drain in the street to prevent the road from flooding.
Community is paying R100 to go to a local restaurant and buying lots of raffle tickets, knowing that you are paying a small surcharge to spend an evening with like-minded residents to support an animal-rescue organisation and a scouting group. It’s playing soccer in a park. It’s joining a residents’ association, a neighbourhood watch, a street WhatsApp group. It’s also responding to an urgent call from a church asking for the use of mattresses and bedding for soaking wet and displaced people.
Yes, there will always be a minority who will run down the calls for community engagement, who refuse to look past their own semi-comfortable lives, who will use the old adage of “someone else’s problem”, or “I pay rates you know”. There will always be the few who don’t embrace the “glass half full” school of thought, but the way that our community shows up and makes a real difference, daily, is a shining example of how to show true compassion and care. So from home to street to suburb to ward to city, this is us.
I am a proud Ward 71 councillor.
