Chairman's Response to Letter

The Dabulamanzi Canoe Club's Chairmans response to the letter of complaint by a Emmarentia resident:

4th February 2011
Mr Jacques Clifford
News Editor
Northcliff Melville Times

Dear Jacques

Floating Jetty Dabulamanzi Canoe Club
Unfortunately I was travelling last week with limited access to the internet and could not respond as the Dabulamanzi Canoe Club Chairman to your request for comment. As a result Jay Hyde the Chairman of the newly formed Canoe Polo club at Dabulamanzi gave you a response which lays out the rationale behind the floating Jetties. Without any background information, Jay could not adequately respond to the concerns of the resident who submitted a letter to your paper.

It is with concern that we read the sentiment of the letter in respect of Dabulamanzi and our attitude to the residents and authorities in general and I would welcome the individual concerned to contact me and to address the many issues that he or she may have with our club. I will give you my contact details to pass on to the person concerned.

In respect of the many issues raised, I cannot answer all of them. The facts are however as follows. As a result of visits overseas by members of the GCU (Gauteng Canoe Union) who saw the floating jetties used at international events in Spain, the GCU supported by Dabulamanzi applied to Lotto for financial support in respect of the purchase of these jetties. As part of the due diligence process, one of our club members an acknowledged environmental expert in matters related to water approached the DWAF to ascertain whether or not any licenses or permissions were required to erect the floating structure. There was further discussion as to whether such a structure requires an Enviromental Impact Assesment (ERA). After some discussion it was decided that they did not require such a study for the following reasons:
•    The jetties float, so there would not be any diverting of the flow to construct them.
•    They would be attached to the bank adjacent to the clubhouse and so do not alter the bed, banks or characteristic of the dam.
•    They do not impede the flow of water through the dam.

Area’s of concern were the accumulation of algae in and around the jetties. This will be reduced by the insertion of two “bridges” to promote more free flow through the jetty structures.

Perhaps the club has not consulted as widely as we could have. We have already held a meeting with the sailing club and the Emmerentia Ratepayers Association Chairperson, who happens to be a sailor, was present. Admittedly this was after the fact. Their concerns were raised and I addressed these in a subsequent e-mail to them. They were concerned that the jetties would impede their starts when they hold regatta’s. To accommodate them we moved the jetties back a few meters and will dismantle or fold them when they have a regatta.

In respect of safety signage, we are currently updating and improving our safety signage and should have these installed within two weeks or so. Currently there are warnings up in and around the clubhouse stating that the use of kayak jackets is the responsibility of all individuals using the dam and that they are compulsory for all persons under the age of 14 years. These signs are there presently and will be increased in number and placed more appropriately to improve their visibility.

Dabulamanzi as a club is environmentally aware and organises an annual dam clean-up on former President Nelson Mandela’s birthday and this year received kudos from the local municipal councilor and members of the Emmerentia community. We are further investigating the construction of filtering reed beds to improve water quality in the dam (we have submitted this proposal to the Johannesburg Council). We have partnered with the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (SCARC) in order to bring young black boys and girls into the sport. We have a supplementary feeding program for these young athletes supported by Yum Yum (Foodcorp) and club members. We are beginning to see results from these young athletes. Our resident coach Bill van der Walt coaches four schools in the afternoons and the response from young people in general (including the Boy Scouts) to the canoe polo facility has been overwhelmingly positive.

We believe that there are far greater concerns relating to Emmerentia Dam and these include:
•    The subsiding dam wall.
•    The gabions below the spillway have now collapsed and will further undermine the dam wall if left unattended.
•    The proliferation of weeds and small trees on the dam wall.
•    The littering and broken glass along the Louw Geldenhuys Drive bank and the lack of working / adequate toilet facilities for the many fishermen who “camp” on the banks of the dam.
Dabulamanzi also puts a concerted effort into security in and around the dam wall and clubhouse which we believe benefits the residents as well. Car theft is becoming an increasing problem around this area.

In closing, any one of the concerned residents or parties who feel aggrieved by the placement of the jetties is welcome to contact me to discuss any issues they may have.

Yours faithfully


James Crichton
Chairman Dabulamanzi Canoe Club