Am I a second-class citizen in my own community?

Aug 07, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Last November I wrote to the BV/Triumph NDC to utilise part of the parapet (Council’s reserve) opposite my place of abode.

In my letter to the council, I specified the boundaries of the reserve I intended to utilise and usage.

The area of interest is north of Jardim Street, bounded to the East and North by the Triumph Nursery School fence and ends at the west in line with the Eastern boundary of the plot owned by Ms. Clarissa Stephens (The Archers).
I intend to have the area concreted for use as an extension of my workshop (welding of vehicles etc), storage of items produced and parking.

I operate an engineering establishment and from time to time have need to handle jobs which cannot be accommodated within the boundaries of my premises.

To date the Council have not responded to my request. However, after some months after sending the request, I met the NDC’s Chair-person and asked her about the status of the request and in a rather nonchalant way said “It was not approved”

Today I observed an excavator working in the compound of the Triumph Nursery school.

It took down the southern fence
It also did some landscaping on the southern side of the compound.

I approached the person whom I assumed to be the contractor he told me that he was moving the most Southern portion of the fence to line up with what was once the drainage canal. I asked why he said the land south of where he’ll put the fence is gazetted as reserve. That would result in the reduction of the play area for pupils of the school.

A bit of history of that canal it was filled up in the 70’s as it became defunct. However, recently a portion was reopened to the end, at the western boundary of where the abattoir once was. The land where the abattoir was and a vacant piece east of it now is the compound of the Nursery School.

The land on which I live is the place of my birth. My memory of the neighbourhood stretches back to the late 50s, and I recollected that the southern fence of the abattoir in the general location of the fence that was removed yesterday. In other words that was never a part of village reserve, hence any such designation is of recent vintage.

What I recognised is that the council is facilitating a Chinese business which is operating at the junction of Jardim and Surat Drive (next door to me) to have parking space the same I requested to have and was not acted upon. The difference I requested to utilise Council’s reserve, while they are prepared to create (as the contractor said by gazetting an area which previously was not). In other words, it is an attempt to carry favour to the Chinese operating at the corner. Two years ago the Chinese who were erecting the structure which evolved to be this Supermarket intimated when a bit of violation was identified said MI GI SHI SHI TING.

I mentioned the treatment meted out to me a villager to two business persons at the street end and was told by both, the council instructed that they occupy the reserve in front of me in order to create parking for another Chinese business which has only today opened its door at the junction of Jardim and Republic Drive (BV Main Road).

Should these two vendors move their businesses would suffer as they would no longer be on what is considered a main thoroughfare.

In closing I ask

Why are Chinese businesses given preferences before to businesses of villagers”?
Why is the play area for our children being taken away to facilitate a Chinese Business?

Sincerely,

Elton McRae

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BV, Elton McRae, Letters, NDC, second-class citizen, triumph

One thought on “Am I a second-class citizen in my own community?”

habeeb August 7, 2026 at 11:28 pm

Your NDC has all the answers.
Haven’t you ever heard of KICKBACKS ?
Not saying there is any here, but, anything is possible.
Money talks.
Property is expensive. People do desperate things just to own property.

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