The Bergvliet Voluntary Association (BVA) has called on the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) to reconvene the Tokai High School Interim Steering Committee after a community meeting where residents raised unresolved questions about traffic, access and consultation.
Community meeting surfaces technical and process questions
Scores of Bergvliet residents and BVA members gathered at the Bergvliet Sports Association on 15 September to review the City’s Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) for the proposed school. At that meeting the community shared an independently funded technical review that, the BVA says, identified a number of issues that require transparent responses from the WCED and the City.
According to the association, the steering committee was formed to provide a structured forum for engagement between community representatives, the City and the WCED as the project progresses. The BVA said the committee had been expected to meet monthly to discuss the broader impacts of the WCED’s accelerated school-building programme and the proposed school’s admissions arrangements, but it has not met.
Specific concerns raised by residents
- Whether the traffic modelling accurately reflects the operating model proposed for the school;
- What happened to additional traffic counts reportedly conducted in June 2026;
- Whether the proposed access points from Ruskin Road and Leyden Road have been assessed sufficiently to accommodate inbound school traffic.
Residents also pointed to earlier objections raised last year during the public participation process for the site’s Heritage Impact Assessment, suggesting the project has drawn recurring concerns about site suitability and community impact.
City and WCED positions
The City’s mayoral committee member for urban mobility, Rob Quintas, was reported as saying the City’s role is statutory because the proposed development is a Western Cape Government project. Quintas also noted that the site has existing rights and is compliant with relevant provisions.
"The site also has existing rights and is compliant with"
The report does not include a full response from the WCED in the community briefing published. The BVA wants the steering committee reconvened so that the City and WCED can address the questions identified by the independent review and provide clear information about next steps, timelines and how admissions will be handled once the school opens.
Why the traffic questions matter locally
Even modest changes in peak-hour vehicle flows can have a noticeable impact on suburban streets that were not designed for large volumes of inbound traffic. Parents dropping off and collecting learners, school buses, and pedestrian movements around access points all change traffic dynamics. The community’s technical review suggests the City’s TIA may not have modelled these patterns in the way the BVA believes the school will operate.
Residents worry that without adequately assessed access arrangements, local roads could experience congestion, safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists, and knock-on effects for public transport and emergency-vehicle access.
What the community is asking for
Summarised, the BVA’s requests to provincial and municipal authorities include:
- Immediate reconvening of the Tokai High School Interim Steering Committee;
- Transparent publication and explanation of the TIA and the independent technical review;
- Clarification on the status and findings of the June 2026 traffic counts;
- Details on the school’s proposed operating model and admissions policy so traffic projections can be aligned with realistic scenarios.
Practical next steps for residents
Until the steering committee meets, residents concerned about traffic and access can ask the City and WCED the following:
- Request the full TIA and any subsequent traffic-count data be made publicly available.
- Ask for modelling assumptions, including projected pupil numbers, start and finish times, and bus/parking provisions used in the TIA.
- Demand a timetable for monthly steering committee meetings and publication of minutes so the community can follow decisions and mitigation measures.
| Issue | Raised by | Requested action |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic modelling assumptions | BVA / community review | Publish models and assumptions; align with operating model |
| June 2026 traffic counts | BVA | Clarify status and findings; make data public |
| Access points (Ruskin & Leyden) | Residents | Assess capacity and safety; propose mitigation measures |
The matter remains live. Reconvening the steering committee would provide a formal channel for the technical questions to be addressed and for the community to track how potential traffic and access issues will be mitigated as the Tokai High School proposal moves forward.
Reporting to date shows a clear divergence between community expectations for ongoing engagement and the City’s description of its role as a statutory adviser on a provincial project. How the WCED responds to demands for transparency and a resumed consultation process will determine whether the project proceeds with community buy-in or under sustained local opposition.
