Public meeting  |20 June 2023

Anse Etoile – Longest meeting to date

It was after a 20-minute introduction by the head of state that the Anse Etoile inhabitants could voice their concerns about issues affecting them and make proposals to improve their district or personal lives.

This was during the public meeting in that district held on Saturday June 17.

One concern raised by a resident living in the St Helene area was the presence of several huge telecommunication antennas close to their houses, which he claimed was bad for people’s health and was slowly affecting some of the residents, leading to certain medical conditions, with some suffering from headaches, malaise, thyroid and heart problems.

He stated that they were not consulted prior to these installations and petitions and several attempts to get the companies to remove their equipment had yielded no results.

He therefore invited the president and his delegation to visit the place to see how the antenna were a threat to people’s lives and also called for a research to be carried out in the area to verify their claim and specified that this should be done independent of the telecom companies.

Following the plea, the head of state told the meeting that he has been informed by the Ministry of Health that the World Health Organisation will be conducting a survey in the area to assess the level of exposure and whether it was a health risk. He also accepted the invitation to the housing estate.

Water quality in St Helene was also a point of concern, with residents claiming they were getting reddish/brownish coloured water from their tap, which was unhealthy for consumption and for washing. The Public Utilities Corporation told the meeting that it was aware of the issue, which emanated from its distribution pipes in the area, and had already started work to replace the pipes.

“We have tried flushing out the dirty water but we need to replace the pipes to resolve the matter entirely. Although we want to work faster, we cannot with the team we have now, so in order to accelerate the work we are seeking the help of other contractors and we plan to complete the project within three weeks,” explained PUC’s chief executive, Joel Valmont.

One resident queried about President Ramkalawan’s plan to address the issue where Seychelles passports were sold indiscriminately to foreigners in the past while others became naturalized citizens while the proper procedure was not followed.

The head of state told the meeting that this matter should be rectified with the introduction of the biometric passports as anyone coming forward to renew their passport for a biometric one will need to have all their papers in order.

“If the procedures were not followed, they will not qualify for Seychelles’ biometric passport because they have failed on their first application,” stated the head of state.

There was also a proposal for the introduction of a medical mobile van for basic health service such as blood pressure checkups at La Retaite, which does not have a regular public bus service, thus reducing the long trips to English River health centre.

Vandalism and unhygienic condition at the Anse Etoile fish market was also raised, to which the fishermen and residents were informed that a new market will be built soon with proper hygiene and secure gear store to ensure their equipment were safe.
There were also several questions related to sports facilities and funding for clubs and government’s plan to encourage sports.

Similar to other districts, land and housing were also high on the agenda. The Minister for Lands and Housing, Billy Rangasamy, outlined his ministry’s plan, which included new housing project in La Gogue which will be completed in March next year and plans to accelerate the Ile Aurore project to build some new houses there.

There are a total of 374 applicants for lands and housing in Anse Etoile, ranging from affordable housing to mid-range condominium and condominiums.

Anse Etoile was by far the longest public meeting, lasting over five hours, with 87 questions coming from the residents.

Patsy Canaya