The founding years of the Silverglen Civic Association is profoundly remembered when a group of concerned ratepayers in the area got together to plan the founding meeting in 1970. Their aim was to improve the services and the provision of amenities in Silverglen.
Silverglen was previously a farm and developed by Silverglen Investments into a township in the late fifties and sixties. Plots were cut and offered for sale to people. The then Department of Community Development purchased sites from the developer and sold them to displaced residents and businessmen who were forcibly removed from Wentworth, Clairwood, Seaview, Bellair, etc. by the Group Areas Act. The Department of Community Development built 200 white painted, stereotyped houses. The first privately built homes came about in the mid-sixties. The infrastructure was poorly developed, and the difficult topography made building costs to triple.
The founding meeting of the Silverglen Civic Association nominated Dr GMM Bux to be its first Chair. He declined and his brother, Mr RM Bux was elected. Dr JN Reddy was the Vice Chair, Mr VM Pillay, the secretary and Mr S Gounden, the treasurer. Many distinguished educationists and community leaders served in official positions in the organisation. Mr Bux was succeeded by Mr VR Naidoo, Mr KC Balakrishna, Mr B Paliveli, Mr RK Naidoo, Mr RM Pillay and Mr V Pillay up to 1992. Mr VM Pillay was succeeded by Mr Vic Pillay as secretary when he was a grade 11 learner and held the post till 1990 and was succeeded by Mr T Mudaly. The treasurer’s post changed also with Mr S Gounden, Mr S Thandrayan, Mr MH Dodgy, Mr E Kuppasamy and Mr Boya Pather up to 1992.
Other members also contributed greatly to the Silverglen Civic. Some of them were Mr MN Reddy, Mr Muns Moodley, Mr SS Reddy, Mr MP Govender, Mr Venkethrathnam, Mr Bala Govender, Mr VG Pillay, Mr Kitty Moodliar, Mr GK Reddy, Mr Natasen, Mr SV Pillay, Mr ES Chetty, Mr H Singh, Mr Heri Singh, Mr NG Naidoo, Mr Shan Moodley and a host of other members.
The Silverglen Civic Association received recognition from the Apartheid Provincial authorities and the Durban City Council for its concerted efforts to improve infrastructure and services primarily in Silverglen and the greater Chatsworth area.
Some of the successful negotiations by the Silverglen Civic Association from 1970 to the 1990s were the:
• Proclamation of the Silverglen Nature Reserve as a green lung between Chatsworth and Umlazi.
• Purchase and rezoning of the property where the pre-school stands. Our rezoning application was for a community hall because our allocated site was sold to SCDIFA.
• During this period also, negotiation commenced to obtain a subsidy using the offices of the Silverglen Cultural Institute wherein R100 000 was secured to build the Preschool. Capital was raised to buy the land and start the project by having fund raising shows. Events included a show by Pithikuli Murugadas and a host of dinner dances at the Pelican and Sol Namara Hotel.
• Improvement to roads, replacement of brick roads, development of sport fields, play lots etc. The storm water systems were upgraded together with street lights.
We salute the pioneering members of the Association and thank the current band of members for their commitment and dedication in taking the Silverglen Civic Association further.
Vic Pillay
