This is an excerpt from the OCA newsletter of 26 July 2018. Subscribe to OCA Monthly Updates here. The next meeting of the OCA committee is 6.30pm, Thursday 26 July. You can get minutes from our last meeting here. Here are a few highlights from the past month: Malta Park: Local filmmaker Munashe Makado has…
What has the OCA been up to?
The month of June marks the halfway mark for the year; OCA members have put together a list of some the things we’ve managed to accomplish for the community in those six months. There’s much more to do!
Workshop report: Social issues in Obs
The OCA hosted a social issues workshop on 2nd June, facilitated by New Hope SA who work in the area of those living on the streets. 36 people attended the workshop, and it was great to hear directly from those who had been living on the street, but who had begun to live life more…
OCA takes action on Hartleyvale & Malta Park
On Monday 4 June, the Observatory Civic Association lodged an official objection to the City’s sweetheart lease of Hartleyvale and Malta Park to Cape Town City Football Club and the fencing off of Malta Park – a public space that has been open to the whole community for many decades. It is a matter of…
Opinion: Beware of high-end developments posing as ‘backpackers’
Tracy Hyde, who leads the OCA’s Architecture & Heritage portfolio, wrote the following article for the May edition of ObsLife: As the demand for housing continues to grow in Cape Town, development is a reality that all residents need to adjust to. However, in several neighbourhoods we see a scenario emerging where the City seems…
OCA Update – May 2018
This is an excerpt from the OCA newsletter of 28 May 2018. Subscribe to OCA Updates here. The next meeting of the OCA committee is 6.30pm, Tuesday 29 May. (You can get minutes from our last meeting here.) A few highlights from the past month: What kind of Obs do we want? Last…
Malta Park & Hartleyvale – A Tale of Three Cities and a Civic
Currently involving the City of Cape Town, Cape Town City Soccer Club, FC Kapstaadt, the issue at Hartleyvale is one that centralises the political and historical layers of the Mother City. This nexus of the Capetonian debate is infused with sensitivities on privatisation, injustice, fencing, leasing, lack of public consultation, the desires of a large…
Invite: Visioning and planning workshop for Obs
The OCA will be holding a visioning and planning workshop for all residents, NGOs and businesses in Observatory. It’s your opportunity to shape what the OCA does over the next year, and to get involved in any activities that interest you. The Observatory Charter, developed with OBSID, ONW and community members in 2017, will be…
OCA Statement on Hartleyvale situation
The Observatory Civic Association (OCA) is deeply disturbed by developments at Hartleyvale. The Cape Town City Football Club has secured a three-year lease of the fields at Hartleyvale and Malta Park for the ridiculously low rental of R8 500 per month. Cape Town City FC have stated that they intend to apply for the extension…
OCA Update – April 2018
This is an excerpt from the OCA newsletter of 22 April 2018. Subscribe to OCA Updates here. The next meeting of the OCA committee is 6.30pm-8.30pm Tuesday 24 April, at the Obs Community Centre. (You can get minutes from our last meeting here.) Here are a few highlights from the past month: Hartleyvale Stadium: The…