In July 2015, FAHB has continued to work towards creating cleaner, fresher air for the people of Hout Bay. Please be aware of the following activities that have taken place.
Updates to FAHB website and communication materials
FAHB is committed to providing accurate information to concerned residents of Hout Bay and to do this we have been engaged in two activities. First, as information is received, updates are made to the FAHB website and we have recently added new information to the ‘What’s the deal?’ page. Please read through this to keep updated. Second, we have developed an information brochure to help share accurate information and raise awareness to our cause. To be successful, we need to demonstrate an informed and collective voice and we would appreciate your help with distributing this brochure further.
Meeting cancelled between the City of Cape Town and Oceana
We are aware that an important meeting was scheduled for 6 August 2015 between the City of Cape Town and Oceana, as detailed in the June 2015 FAHB update. We were informed that this meeting was cancelled yet again, with no reason detailed, and are awaiting information on when it will be rescheduled to.
Acquisition of technical information and reports
In June 2015, FAHB requested the air quality and air emissions reports for the fish factory through the Access to Information Process. We have since received the ‘Provisional Atmospheric Emissions License (AEL) Annual Report’ for 2012-2013 and 2014 produced by Oceana. We are still waiting for the emissions reports and have been directed to the Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) department for this information. The information is currently being reviewed by the FAHB organising team and the appointed technical experts and further updates will be provided on this once the emissions reports have been received.
Information received from the City of Cape Town
During the meeting with the Mayoral Committee Member for Health in June 2015, a list of questions were submitted by FAHB. We have received responses to these questions, which can be found on our website.
Engagement with existing local institutions
FAHB recognises the need to coordinate and consolidate activities with existing activities and institutions in Hout Bay. To do this, several meetings have taken place. FAHB organisers conducted a workshop with university students participating in the All Out Africa explore program, explaining the current situation with the fish factory and the activities undertaken to rectify it. FAHB has also participated in the stakeholder workshops conducted by in/formal south that aim to create a clean and healthy environment in Hout Bay by focusing on water and sanitation issues. The FAHB organising team has also been engaging with local environmental group Thrive, the Hout Bay Partnership and the Hout Bay Residents and Ratepayers Association.
As always, the success of our cause will be determined by our collective voice and there are a number of things you can do to support us:
- Distribute our FAHB information brochure to help share accurate information about our cause
- Complete an affidavit to register the smell as a public nuisance. Please provide as much detail as possible, while remaining truthful. Have the affidavit certified and send a copy to the organising team. (We know this is a tedious process and appreciate your help with this)
- Sign our petition requesting the City to take stronger action
- Register a complaint with the fish factory when you are impacted by the smell
- Register on the Fresh Air for Hout Bay website
- Support our social media
We will provide a further update at the end of August 2015 and please keep checking Fresh Air for Hout Bay’s website for more information.
Comments 2
I personally don’t want the Oceana to close as many people will lose their jobs! If there was something that can be done about the smell but NOT closing the whole factory down!! Let’s think about these hundreds of people who would be out of their jobs 🙁
Author
Thank you so much for your comments Ntombethemba, the potential job loss of closing the factory is a very serious issue and one we need to think about. Just so you know, in total there are 98 jobs that would be affected by the factory closing and Oceana has said they will provide alternative employment and relocation allowances. Of course this is not an ideal situation but Oceana also says that there is no technology to get rid of the smell. It’s a difficult situation. So, we are asking people to think about what opportunities the closure of the factory could bring – perhaps there is a way of creating more jobs and better jobs for all people in Hout Bay. Please have a read through our proposal here: http://smellsfishy.co.za/?p=251. We welcome your thoughts!