Constantiaberg Bulletin takes a look back at the news that made headlines in 2023, reflecting on the moments worth remembering.
In January, more than 70 firefighters and five helicopters fought a blaze on the mountain slopes of Boyes Drive in the direction of Lakeside. While the fire was still raging, a suspect was arrested by the police (“Man faces arson charges over Boyes Drive blaze,” Bulletin, January 18).
In February, Gabriel Road Area Project Association (Grapa), a Plumstead civic organisation, turned a municipal road reserve blighted by vagrancy into a community food garden (“Squat spot becomes community garden,” Bulletin, February 23).
In March, the Cape Peninsula Baboon Management Joint Task Team (JTT) got a grilling at a public meeting to discuss a draft baboon management plan (“Task team grilled on baboon plan,” Bulletin, March 9).
In April, Norman Henshilwood High School in Constantia discovered that its school song has a close link to a respected anti-apartheid activist, Donald Woods (“The school song that Donald Woods wrote,” Bulletin, April 20).
In May, researchers planned to survey 500 to 1000 residents of several Cape Peninsula suburbs, asking them to give their views on baboons. The Baboon Attitudes Research Project is part of the overarching Unruly Natures research programme led by Johan Enqvist, a researcher at Stockholm University (“Researchers to survey public’s views on baboons,” Bulletin, May 18).
In June, neighbours of Bulgarian fugitive Krasimir Nikolaev Kamenov shared their suspicions about the goings-on at the upmarket Constantia home where he and three others were gunned down in what resembled a mafia-style hit (“Mafia-style killings stun Constantia,” Bulletin, June 1).
In July, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) said it was moving ahead with plans to take back its land from squatters. The parastatal was appointing a legal team to handle evictions and finalising a tender for fences and walls along its three key commuter lines in Cape Town, according to Prasa regional manager Raymond Maseko (“Prasa to steam ahead with fencing, eviction drive,” Bulletin, July 27).
In August, a fire in a derelict building in Wynberg’s squalid Ebor Road claimed the life of a woman and underscored the hazards posed by the slum-like conditions there (“There is such a potential for that place to just blow,” Bulletin, August 10).
In September, a Plumstead children’s home showed off its new minibus and said much-needed building renovations were on the cards thanks to R1.8 million in funding from the National Lotteries Commission (“New wheels, funding for children’s home,” Bulletin, September 7).
In October, Westlake Village residents started a petition for a satellite police station to tackle rampant crime in the township (“Westlake petitions for satellite police station,” Bulletin, October 12).
In November, Plumstead library staff, patrons and community activists who helped to keep it open in the face of a City plan to close it gathered to celebrate its continued existence (“Celebrating a new chapter for Plumstead library,” Bulletin, November 2).
In December, babies born behind bars at Pollsmoor prison received early Christmas gifts from their mothers’ jailers. The prison’s baby-mother unit held a Christmas party for seven tots, and a prison warder dressed as Santa handed out clothing, toys, books, toiletries and other gifts to the babies’ mothers (“Santa comes early for prison tots,” Bulletin, December 7).
