Wood chopping, vandalism mar heritage site
Vandalism and illegal wood chopping are destroying a historic footpath in Simon’s Town, say residents.
The Signal School Steps, built around 1902, lead to the grave of Just Nuisance, the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy.
Simon’s Town resident Steph Mellor said she and her husband, Keith, trained weekly up the footpath and several times had seen two men chopping wood.
“The steps are covered in wood chips and debris and the top of the steps is overgrown and there is litter, ” she said.
Last week, she said, they had confronted the two men and told them they were not allowed to chop wood up there, but the men had sworn at them and gestured at them to go away.
Ms Mellor said rocks from the side of the footpath were being removed and sold.
The site is within Table Mountain National Park, which is managed by SA National Parks (SANParks), but Ms Mellor said it had not responded to her complaints.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said he was shocked to see how much damage had been done to the site.
“They are slowly making their way up, destroying the walls as they go. Eventually, the whole set of stairs will be one big pile of rubble.”
He said he had seen several people collecting wood near the steps and along Runciman Drive, and one man had told a security company that he was collecting wood for “his clients”.
“What they don’t realise is that they are destroying public property and the wood is probably being taken illegally from the mountain. It is not firewood; it’s not long-burning firewood.”
He added that he had also seen human faeces and toilet paper on the steps.
Ward councillor Simon Liell-Cock said taking wood from Table Mountain National Park and the destruction of a heritage site were illegal.
Simon’s Town CPF chairman Andrew Rogers said he had notified SANParks and had asked residents to log complaints with Law Enforcement and send the reference numbers to him.
Law Enforcement would not respond to incidents on SANParks land, but it would record the incidents and allow him to follow up, he said.
Ms Mellor said she wanted to discourage people from supporting the woodcutters or buying the rocks.
SANParks spokeswoman Lauren Clayton said that while the Signal School Steps were within the Table Mountain National Park, which is managed by SANParks, the Just Nuisance burial site and the staircase leading to it fell under Heritage Western Cape.
She said SANParks would work with Heritage Western Cape to assess the damage to the stairs and the feasibility of replacing the rocks.
“Preserving the historical integrity of the site is of utmost importance,” she said.
SANParks and law enforcement had held operations to deal with wood cutting, but no arrests had been made, she said.
Suspicious incidents can be reported to 086 110 6417.
Heritage Western Cape CEO Michael Janse van Rensburg said they oversaw the management of heritage resources but did not own them, and it was the owner’s responsibility to ensure they were properly maintained.
They would discuss the way forward with SANParks, he said.
Simon’s Town Museum curator Cathy Salter said the stairs were built around 1902 when the Royal Navy Hospital on Cable Hill was built.
The steps let people reach the sanatorium at Klaver Camp without having to go around Red Hill Road.
“It is a significant route as it leads up to Just Nuisance’s grave and has always been used by navy personnel and civilians to climb up the mountain for recreational purposes and for the navy divers to train,” she said.
