A group of residents, impassioned in their quest to protect the history and heritage of the old Gilray Scout Campsite in Klip Road, Grassy Park against being auctioned off, staged a protest outside the property.
At 10:00 on the morning of Heritage Day, Wednesday 24 September, over 20 protesters, their placards held aloft, staged a peaceful protest and organised a petition, which garnered about 5 000 signatures.
Organised by the local Save Gilray Committee (SGC), the gathering was against the prospective sale of the The Gilray site, Erf 75571, at 1 Klip Road, which has a significant history for residents and its surrounds.
The protesters handed the City a Memorandum of Interest and were preparing to hand over a petition on Friday 3 October at their councillor’s meeting 
The Gilray Scout Camp has become dilapidated, particularly after constant targeting by vandals in recent years. Photos: supplied 
The protestors also shared a petition opposing the sale of the Gilray site which garnered 5000 signatures so far.
The City of Cape Town is currently reviewing its options relating to the site, including its possible revamping.
The Gilray Scout Camp, which dates back to the 1950s, has become dilapidated and overgrown, particularly after constant targeting by vandals in recent years.
“Our demands are still to prevent the sale and rapid disposal of Gilray,” said SGC spokesperson Moira Manuel. “We want to ensure public participation on all land-related decisions and to prioritise a community led development and social benefit. We must also hold the municipal structures accountable to a democratic process.”
The group opposed all forms of sale, alienation, leasing or development. “Gilray belongs to the people, not to private interests,” Manuel said. “So we insist that no sale, lease or development by third parties be pursued until such time as the community’s preferred development vision is fully tabled, adopted and incorporated into the City’s planning frameworks.”
The group has already handed the City a Memorandum of Interest and was preparing to hand a petition calling for a moratorium on any sale or development of the property on Friday 3 October at its councillors’ meeting. “The petition was started about a month ago,” Manuel said, “and to date we have ±4000 votes on paper and ±1000 on electronic.”
The City confirmed the future use of the property was still under review.
The City’s Economic Growth Directorate stated: “The future use of the property is still under review. This process includes consultations with various City departments to determine whether the property is required for operational purposes. Should it be deemed non-essential it will be classified as surplus to the City’s requirements and disposed of through a competitive process. Any future disposal or redevelopment will follow the due statutory process, including public participation.
Ward 65 councillor Donovan Nelson said there is no confirmation that the property will be auctioned off.
“This decision has not been made yet and we still need to finalise matters around the property. Currently, the ward committee has given the go ahead to seek alternative ways for the property to be utilised, including disposing of it so that the private sector- who has the means and budget, can invest in Grassy Park in a meaningful way,” he said. “We will continue to reach out to the community through our invitations to our meetings. We will keep them informed and request their involvement in our plight to save Gilray. We are also getting their ideas on what they envision the land should be used for. Our main plans are to hand the moratorium to the City.”
The SGC is hosting an open meeting today (30 September) at 19:00 at the Grassy Park Civic Centre.
