Something Rotten In Lonehill's Hamlet?

Following the Lonehill Residents Association (LRA) July 2006 AGM financials debacle, the clear showing of a majority of dissatisfied hands, and the apparently disturbing consequent clamp-down of access-to-information as requested by concerned residents, I experience this uncomfortable ringing in my ears of Marcellus words' in Shakespeare's Hamlet: "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark."

Of latest concern is the staggering and unprecedented announcement from the LRA office, effectively stripping all Lonehill Community Initiative contributors of their LRA Membership status.

Lonehill residents responsible for contributing to the success of the Lonehill community security initiative and previously having been recognised by the LRA, by stated intention, invitation and process, as being eligible to vote at previous meetings, are now required to 'apply' to the LRA to become registered as voting members. By my reading, only then may they record their dissatisfaction or otherwise at the second-attempt repeat of the LRA AGM - set to take place at 19:00h on Tuesday 17th October at Crawford Preparatory School in Sceales Road, Lonehill.

This writer implores Lonehill residents to take note of and question events unfolding in the current affairs of Lonehill's critically-needed LRA community initiative and, if deemed necessary, return it to the the principles of common sense, open transparency, integrity of purpose, and mass community involvement that were the hallmarks of our 2001 security initiative's multi-million rand success.

In my personal opinion, we must ensure that we avoid the bumbling bureaucracy of a ‘command and control’ hierarchy and keep Lonehill residents fully in control of our own Association.

by Trevor Nel - Lonehill resident and initiator of the Lonehill community security project