Supporters help Reclaim the City
CLOSE to 200 people came out to support advocacy group Reclaim the City as they highlighted their ongoing struggle to secure affordable housing in Cape Town.
The group made headlines when it managed to stop the sale of the Tafelberg school site and proposed for affordable housing.
A financial model was released by the Department of Public Works for 270 affordable housing units, which was welcomed by the group.
Reclaim the City spokesperson Elizabeth Qgoboka said yesterday was also about bringing awareness about what people in Sea Point have been going through.
“We want to say that our people… aren’t free enough in the city. Poor people are not accepted into areas and this has been going on for decades.
“A lot of people are getting exploited in the area; at the end of the day we want to build Sea Point up and make it better for all – rich and poor.”
Ndifuna Ukwazi, an activist organisation assisting Reclaim the City, was also at the gathering and researcher Julian Sendin said they were celebrating the close of submissions of comments on the report.
He said they had some reservations about the feasibility report and they wanted a watertight proposal.
“We don’t think it uses the full potential development of the site, we need some market uses of the site to cross-subsidise the social housing component and to minimise land cost… If it works then it unlocks valuable stateowned land in all well-known areas, then we can make a dent in the housing struggle in South Africa.”
Meanwhile, Reclaim the City said the City appeared to be planning the construction of 10 new relocation camps outside the city for evicted families. The organisation said the City revealed that the Wolwerivier relocation camp, 30km north of the city, is the only destination for families left homeless.
“The Bromwell families say they cannot live a dignified life in Wolwerivier and asked the City to look at available options in their home community.”
The City’s acting executive director for human settlements, Riana Pretorius, listed the sites of the relocation camps. Existing sites include Mfuleni, Happy Valley, Blikkiesdorp, Wolwerivier, Sir Lowry’s Pass, Bardale, OR Tambo (Khayelitsha), Hangberg and Masonwabe (Gugulethu).
The planned sites include Bloekombos Ext 3, Strandfontein East, Pelican Park South, South Atlantis, Macassar, Mfuleni Ext 2, Vlakteplaas, Sweet Home, Aloe Ridge and Nooiensfontein.