NEWS RELEASE                                                                                               15 October 2001

 HORSES WIN BY A HEAD AT PENHILL 

Horses living in the Penhill area - a low-density residential neighbourhood on the urban fringe and eastern periphery of Oostenberg – have won by a head, thanks to a decision by City Council to overturn an unpopular by-law. 

The head involved is that of the Chairperson of the City of Cape Town’s Planning and Environment Portfolio Committee, Councillor Brian Watkyns, who believes that horses have a right to have their owners reside on the same property. 

In fact, a Penhill horse can have his or her mate live there as well, just as long as the pair has at least 4000 square metres to wander around in, have good stabling, are properly cared for and don’t cause a disturbance to neighbours. 

Typical of this is Senator’s Girl and her foal Sedona who live in fine style on Mrs Golding’s property in Gourley Road, Penhill. 

Here, apart from a little light exercise Mrs Golding suggests they take in the surrounding countryside each week, Senator’s Girl and Sedona lead a leisurely and pretty much stress-free life. They have a matching pair of comfortable stables, tack room and feed store, as well as a lunging ring to run around in. And their horse box is parked nor far away.

 The old Oostenberg statutes stated that a property should be at least 10 000 square metres in extent, but the City of Cape Town has shown some fine horse sense by moving to promote and encourage rather than confine the essentially equestrian nature of this suburb.

 “Times have changed,” said Councillor Watkyns. “Land usage – especially on the urban edge where we have to guard against development into rural areas – has to be carefully considered. At Penhill, we have a perfect moulding of both into a perfectly reasonable and workable living environment for horses and owners alike.”

The City of Cape Town recently overturned an unpopular by-law.  So that horses and their owners can reside on the same property.  These horses are allowed to live with their mate, as long as the pair have at least 4 000 square metres to wander around on. 

Seen at one of these happy endings were, from left to right, Councillor Jacob Jacobs (ward 16), Wendy Golding (owner of the land and horses) and Councillor Brian Watkyns (Executive Committee Member, Planning and Environment, City of Cape Town)