Home

Date:	Item
2nd December	Yet more on the scam (see below) - this is the form of words that "ROBERT SPOONER" is using to bait prospective tenants. As an alleged British citizen, some of his English language is somewhat below standard: From: Robert Spooner <rj.spooner04@gmail.com> Date: 02 December 2011 6:13:58 AM To: XXXXXXX@gmail.com Subject: Re: Reply to your " Lovely 2br furnished apartment in City Center" Ad on Gumtree Good to read from you on your interest on my apartment, which i am leasing out for rent The apartment is still very much available for rent. Just to give you a little low down about the apartment and myself. I am a British citizen. I inherited the flat from my late father. He was actually residing there only. Until his death with heart failure. This is why i decided to put up the property for lease. I recently relocated here in Madrid, Spain. Due to my new job offer at the Hospital Universitario La Paz here in Madrid. The whole flat is up for a total of R4000 Per Month. Which i also think is fair enough considering the location. I just need someone with an open heart, love and clean to occupy the apartment and put all my worries off concerning the maintenance of the apartment for now. The flat comprises of two bedroom. Excellent condition inside. Good sized lounge, with a sofa, DVD player, air-conditioning, stereo, and washing machine. Can sleep a max of 4, and ideal for family, couple and friends. The kitchen is fully equipped with all necessary cooking utensils Just to let you know, the keys are right here with me. But there wouldn't be any problem with that. As it can be posted to you, after all necessary agreement has be reached and signed into lease. Also i will like you to know that is not all about complying with the rent , but your absolute maintenance of the apartment. Just for the memories of my father. Who committed so much putting those facilities in place, so i wouldn't want an violation of my property if finally rented by you. The Apartment is situated at Mutual Heights, 14 Darling Street, 3rd floor, Cape town 8000, South Africa. Building facilities includes. Allocated secure underground parking bay, lift, gym and pool, with 24 hrs security. As for the utility bills, there are not included on the rent, and also no outstanding bills. So you be paying the bills and starting the lease with a clean slate. The minimum lease term is 2 months, and a maximum of 2 years with a possibility of extension. Regards, Robert Note the email address: rj.spooner04@gmail.com - don't get involved in any way.
1 December 2011	NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE TENANTS: More on the scam. We have three or four reports that potential tenants have been dealing with someone calling himself ROBERT SPOONER, who is working with someone calling himself JOSE ARANDA GUTIERREZ. They seem to be falsely offering accommodation in Mutual Heights using GUMTREE. Their story involves a dead father, keys coming by courier (that never arrive), and (of course) deposits and payments that are lost for ever. They have images of passports that are almost certainly falsified: We are endeavouring to notify gumtree and the passport authorities about this scam. IF you have any more information that needs to be shared with the community, please let us know without delay. In the meantime please follow the advice below! If you are the real ROBERT SPOONER or JOSE ARANDA GUTIERREZ, we suggest you contact your passport authorities without delay.
31 October 2011	There is a scam running around where people are PRETENDING to own and rent out units in our building (and elsewhere - this is not confined to Mutual Heights). They are asking for substantial sums of money as deposit before releasing the keys. Oddly, these people are usually in distant places, and sometimes there is a bereavement involved to explain why property is suddenly available. Do not get suckered into this nonsense, and do not send ANY money to people you do not know, without protecting your interests.
16 July 2011	The instructions for setting your DSTV decoder are now available here.
12 March 2011	A copy of an article about the building, published in the "South African Architect" journal in 1940, is now available here. It is a scanned copy (7Mb) so it will take a little time to download. It includes some artists' impressions of the building, and photographs, but the quality is poor being based on a scanned photocopy. A copy of the text only (2.3Mb) is available here.
21 February 2011	The Chairman's newsletter for February 2011 is now available here. Remedial work is finally starting on the few apartments that are seriously affected by damp and summons have been served on the developer and their contractors. We will continue to keep you informed.
15 January 2011	The very hot weather has accelerated our thinking about energy management in the building. We are going to seek expert advice about air conditioning, and other aspects of energy consumption (including how to reduce the cost of keeping all those light bulbs shining). If you have opinions, or expertise in these matters, then please get in touch with us.
14 January 2011	Tenders have been received for the remedial works (see 1st November below), and following our evaluation of those tenders work will begin (within the scope of our existing budget) this month as soon as the construction industry gets back to work. We will keep you informed.
28th December 2010	There is now a wikipedia page concerning the Mutual Building - check it out and let us know if you have any comments or suggestions as to how we might extend or improve it (or, get in there and edit the page directly if you are a practiced wikipedian!). You will find it at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mutual_Building_(Mutual_Gebou),_Cape_Town
1st November 2010	After interminable efforts to establish what needs to be done and how it might be done (we actually disassembled parts of windows and put them back together again!), owners and affected residents will be pleased to know that during November we will be issuing invitations to tender for the remedial works discussed at the AGM, and that we are specifying that work should start in the new year. If that sounds like the start of something, not the end, then please be assured it is the end of the beginning! It is likely that the Tower and the Long Street elevation will be the first sections of the exterior to be dealt with. Our thanks go out to the task force that worked on this problem (comprising volunteers from the Mutual Heights community), and to the building and damp management experts who have assisted us. A newsletter with full details is on its way.
24th May 2010	The date of the Annual General Meeting is now 8th June - sorry for the late notice here on the web site, but you should have received the official notice by now. Hope to see you there, don't forget to fill in the proxy form if you are not able to attend.
19th March 2010	The Chairman's newsletter for March 2010 is now available here. This reports further on the legal situation in regard to the damp problems, and remedial works. Note that the planned date for the next AGM is 27th May 2010 - please diarise the date now.
22nd February 2010	The trustees are looking forward to meeting residents and owners at the new year party, this week. In answer to the desperate scribbled comments on the notices (in the lifts and elsewhere), the venue is the Fresco Room on the eighth level, and there is no charge. Note that there will be extra security on duty that evening.
18th January 2010	The Chairman's newsletter for January 2010 is now available here. This reports on the legal situation in regard to the damp problems, and proposals for remedial works on the exterior of the building.
17th January 2010	One of the most distinctive features of the building is the extraordinary FRIEZE around the three sides: Darling Street, Parliament Street, and Longmarket Street. It is reportedly 386 feet (about 120 metres) long. For a long time I have wanted to try and photograph it, and on Christmas Day three weeks ago it was so quiet out in the streets that a first attempt was successfully accomplished. Apart from two sections that need to be re-photographed, and the fact that a few leaves on the trees obscure the corner, most of the Frieze is there. Have a look here (it's a 1.4Mb download so it will not come immediately). Here is how it starts: When it loads you might just see a long thin strip on your screen - click on it and it should come to the proper size. Scroll to the right and the left to see the whole thing. The first two sections (on the Darling Street side) depict Van Riebeeck landing (to the left of the front door) and the 1820 settlers arriving (to the right). Around the corner, the inscriptions below the pictures in Parliament Street include: 1622 - Post Office Stones 1666 - Die Kasteel 1834 - Emancipation of Slaves 1835 - Durban 1837 - Voortrekkers 1857 - Nongkause 1871 - Kimberly See if you can locate them on the visuals. I will be working on the missing parts when the leaves fall from the trees so that we can see them.
26 June 2009	The Chairman's newsletter for June 2009 is now available here. (Also the one for April, which seems to have previously escaped this tabulated news on the front page!). The June newsletter gives you a quick report on the damp management project, more will be revealed at the Annual General Meeting. See you there!
25 June 2009	The date of the Annual General Meeting is now set for Thursday 30th July 2009 at 6pm. It will take place in the Fresco Hall on the 8th Floor. The formal notice, agenda and relevant documentation will be circulated to all owners early next week. Please put the date in your diary….. Thursday 30th July 2009 at 6pm.
3 March 2009	The Chairman's newsletter for February 2009 is now available here.
28 January 2009	Owners and residents should be aware that we have undertaken a damp penetration survey, and we have received 17 reports of damp ingress, some relating to the structure and some to internal problems - some are significant and some are not (see the 7 Nov 2008 notice below). We have now met with specialists, and we will soon be choosing who will advise us on how to solve the problems. It has also been suggested that we form a task force to assist and manage the process on behalf of the community - if you are interested in joining such a team, do please contact us at info@mutualheights.net.
26 January 2009	Just in case you have not noticed the many emails, and the posters in the lifts, please be advised that the ANNUAL PARTY will be held at 19h00 on Thursday 29th January, in the Fresco Room on the eighth floor. See you there!
7 November 2008	The Chairman's newsletter for November 2008 is now available here. It summarises the proceedings of the AGM (Minutes will be circulated soon) and also announces a survey of damp problems within the building. If you want to report a damp penetration problem for the attention of the trustees, please download and submit a report - a simple report form is available here. In case of any difficulty, you can always just email details to us at the usual email address: info@mutualheights.net
29 September 2008	The 2008 Annual General Meeting has been scheduled to take place at 6pm on Thursday 23rd October 2008 in the Fresco Hall, 8th Floor, Mutual Heights, 14 Darling Street, Cape Town. Because there are Special Resolutions which will be put to members for consideration trustees are obliged to give 30 days notice of this meeting and to send copies by pre-paid registered post. The "hard" copy AGM packs were posted on the 22nd September 2008. But, if the building manager has your email address, you should have received a "soft" copy by now. See you there!
10 September 2008	Your webmaster hears reports that work is to begin soon on two things we have been waiting for: the new garage door and the new security doors in the entrance hall. The first will require everyone to have new buttons to get in the garage (shame!) but will be infinitely more secure and might even work reliably without breaking down (hurray!); in the entrance hall the lifts will be secured using new glass screens across the top of the stairs, with secured doors within them (I guess you will have to use your white card to get to the lifts). We are happy that both of these developments will improve the security arrangements, and we may even be able to keep the main front doors open later in the evening. Further news will emanate from the manager's office in due course.
24 August 2008	The Chairman's newsletter for March 2008 is available here (belatedly, again) - it concerns the budget for the new financial year, and anticipates the AGM (we are aiming for October, date to be confirmed soon).
23 August 2008	The Chairman's newsletter for February 2008 is available here (belatedly - sorry about that - AB) - it provides information about the new arrangements for payment of rates to the City administration. This is now the direct responsibility of owners, where before it was done for you by the Body Corporate. Please note that the email address given for Mr Mark Lewis in the circulated copy of the newsletter is incorrect - the correct address is mark.lewis@capetown.gov.za, as given in the copy of the newsletter provided here .
28 Nov 2007	The new Chairman's newsletter for November 2007 is now available here - it provides additional background on the "Old Mutual Sign" saga, and useful updates on other issues such as the re-cycling of rubbish - we are to initiate an experiment and we seek the co-operation of all residents! More about this is coming from the managing agents, soon.
21 Nov 2007	You will have noticed that the basement garage door is broken yet again. A security guard has been posted to continuously monitor access while this problem prevails - if you do not actually see the guard he will not be far away. Note that we will be installing a NEW, much more secure access system, with unique identities on the access buttons. That way, if a button is lost or stolen, it can be disabled and rendered useless.
27 Sept 2007	Your trustees have now (finally!) concluded an agreement with Old Mutual for the continued display of the huge "Old Mutual" sign on the east side of the building. Your chairperson, Paul Rippon, and the building manager, Charles Keefer, are to be complimented on their persistent dealings with Old Mutual management, over an extended period of time. Income from the rental (two years have been agreed, the second year is now imminent) will be used to build a reserve fund, and to improve the building. We are considering suggestions to beautify the Atrium - any suggestions are welcome.
26 Sept 2007	Added instructions for visitor access - you can use your cell phone to let visitors into the building.
16 June 2007	Here is some real but interesting trivia. We are in touch with Randy Juster in the USA (a serious Art Deco "fundi" who has allowed us to use one or two of his photos of the building) and he gives us the following ... "The largest flower delivery service in the U.S. is called FTD (Florists Transworld Delivery). For the last two Christmas seasons, FTD has run a TV ad where a flower delivery man walks into a building with a fabulous Art Deco lobby. Believe it or not, that building is the Old Mutual. How FTD ended up making a commercial in Capetown, I have no idea." Well, we know why they came here, don't we! You might like to note that the recent AGM discussed policies for allowing filming in the building (together with many other matters - more about that soon), and there was a generally positive reaction about this. What do *you* think about the use of the building for filming? Does it upset you or delight you? Tell us with an email to info@mutualheights.net ... your trustees want to hear from you.
18th May 2007	The ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING is to be held in the Assembly Room (the Fresco Hall on the eighth floor) at 18hr00 on 30th May. The documentation package can be downloaded here. If you are not able to attend you are URGED to submit your PROXY FORM to the managing agent, so that a quorate meeting can be allowed to proceed with this important business. We look forward to seeing you there, there will be refreshments afterwards ...
17th May 2007	A complete copy of the Mutual Building Heritage Report is now available here - this interesting report provides information about the history of the building, the heritage "content", and even provides floor plans for every floor (including the basement). It is a large (scanned) file - we are seeking out an "original" copy that would be smaller and clearer, but in the meantime here is what we have.
11th May 2007	The first version of the web site is now essentially complete, and available for general use.
25th April 2007	This web updated to include all basic content (but there is much more to come - watch for announcements here).
24th April 2007	You now have LESS THAN ONE WEEK to object to your rating valuation - go to www.capetown.gov.za to check it out. See the Chairman's newsletter on this matter.
30th March 2007	The Mutual Heights "Internet Survey" report is available here. You will need the free Acrobat reader to access the contents (and most of the other documents on this web).
29th March 2007	This web site initiated