De Lille put to test
AS CUSTODIANS of Cape Town, the city council has the responsibility to provide basic services for its citizens. It also has the obligation to protect the constitutional rights of those who live in the city.
No less so than in the case of the residents of The Bromwell, a building destined for redevelopment by a private developer, who are now fighting their eviction from the building in the Western Cape High Court.
While due process must be respected, the City of Cape Town has the perfect opportunity to step in and intervene.
Some of the residents of The Bromwell have been living there for three decades and have nowhere else to go.
The City has announced the development of 10 new “temporary relocation camps”, one of which is Wolwerivier, some 30km outside the city with little to zero access to economic opportunities, transport infrastructure, clinics and schools.
It is here that the residents of The Bromwell are headed should their court case not go their way.
Earlier this month, mayor Patricia de Lille launched an ambitious Organisational Development and Transformation Plan (ODTP) which is designed to tackle apartheid spatial planning and ensure equal service delivery for all. De Lille, in a show of commitment to the success of the ODTP, resigned as provincial leader of the DA to focus on “taking Cape Town to the next level”.
The Bromwell predicament provides her with the perfect opportunity to step in and show the people of Cape Town exactly what the ODTP is in action.
ACTIONS speak louder than words, Madam Mayor, and this is an opportunity to show us your mettle as a leader in the city and to assist the residents of The Bromwell.
If you are as committed to addressing apartheid spatial planning and intent on creating an inclusive city for all, temporary location camps far from amenities is not the way to go.
The housing shortage is one of the biggest challenges Cape Town, like all other metros, grapples with. But unlike most of the metros, it is here where the legacy of apartheid spatial planning is more evident.