Good day everyone,

First, a massive thank you to all 153 signatories who have stood with us on the No-Fly Zone Durbanville petition. Your support, comments, and shares have kept this issue alive despite years of frustration.

Almost a year has passed since my last update in February 2025, when the City’s Health Department reported that the fly situation was “under control” after inspections and promised frequent monitoring. Sadly, that temporary improvement did not last, and the problems have returned worse than ever.

What has happened since then:

• Roosters added unbearable noise: Throughout 2025, multiple cockerels at Camelot Riding School crowed incessantly – often starting at 1:30 AM and continuing all day and night, right next to residents’ bedrooms. The City confirmed this as a clear violation of the Animal Keeping By-law, served a formal compliance notice in August 2025, and set a removal deadline for September 2025. Yet the roosters are still there, with zero enforcement despite months of follow-ups, formal letters, and escalations to Councillor Francois Berry and Environmental Health.
• Flies and odours back in full force: As soon as the warmer weather arrived, the severe fly infestation returned, forcing families to stay indoors and raising real health risks from disease-carrying vermin bred in accumulated manure. The overwhelming smell of manure and urine continues unchecked.
  The City’s latest excuse: Officials now claim the properties at 37 Herta Erna Street and 42 Ruiteshoogte Avenue are zoned agricultural, implying they can keep unlimited livestock without restriction. However, agricultural zoning does NOT exempt anyone from nuisance laws. The City’s own by-laws (Animal Keeping By-law 2021 and Environmental Health By-law 2003) explicitly prohibit excessive noise, flies, odours, or any condition that harms neighbours’ health and peace – regardless of zoning.
• Health Department access issues: The Health Department reported that they were unable to gain access to the properties during inspections last year, yet despite Camelot Riding School not even being fully fenced and being openly accessible, they claim they have not gained access late last year. We will be taking the Health Department to task on this claim in an upcoming conference meeting scheduled for the next few weeks.

Despite repeated complaints, documented violations, and a strong community petition, the City has failed to enforce its own rules. We simply cannot coexist with these ongoing health hazards and disturbances in what is supposed to be a peaceful residential area.

To tackle this head-on, we've formed a dedicated action group including a litigator, a property attorney, a pest control specialist, and other experts. We have also engaged with the Durbanville Ratepayers Association via their chairperson. Together, we aim to ensure that the City upholds the bylaws and takes legal action within that framework, issuing notices and fines accordingly. We will also engage with the planning departments as to why the properties were not rezoned when the residential rezoning took place, and force them to address this legacy problem.

We need to re-energise this campaign! The petition is still active, and every new signature and share adds weight when we approach the City, provincial authorities, or even the courts.

Please:

• Sign if you haven’t already.
• Share this update in local WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages (Durbanville Community, etc.), and with neighbours.
• Comment with your recent experiences – the more personal stories, the stronger our case.

Together we can force real, lasting action:

• Proper enforcement of nuisance abatement (effective fly control and manure management).
  Removal of the illegal roosters.
• A full review of zoning and commercial livestock operations in our residential neighbourhoods.
• We deserve to enjoy our homes, gardens, and sleep without fear of flies or being woken at dawn. Let’s not let this drag on for another year.
  
  Thank you for standing with us.
  
  No-Fly Zone Durbanville Petition 
  On behalf of all affected residents in Schoongezicht, Vierlanden, Ruitershoogte, Palomino, and the surrounding areas