‘We weren’t consulted on low-cost housing’

Public participation process a sham, say Blue Downs residents

FRUSTRATED at the prospect of low-cost government homes on their doorstep, residents in Blue Downs have labelled the provincial Human Settlements Department’s public participation process a sham.

Residents of Conifers, near Blue Downs, have bemoaned the lack of consultation on massive housing projects in the area, in particular a project where the department is building Breaking New Ground (BNG) houses on vacant land next to bonded private homes.

BNG homes are low-cost government-provided houses.

Jenny van Rooi, a representative of the Conifers Residents’ Association, said the developments had proceeded without proper communication with the community.

She said the proposed houses were for backyard dwellers in the area, and that whenever information sessions had been held, the backyarders would drown out existing homeowners.

“This is complete madness. We have had meetings with MEC Bonginkosi Madikizela, but that was to no avail. He did not attend to our issues, and we were left with nothing. When meetings are held, there are so many backyarders they drown us out, and our voice cannot be heard,” she said.

Construction companies had already dropped off building material, she said. Should the plan go ahead, their property values would drop.

“We cannot be paying rates and bonds, yet next to us there are people living who are not paying for rates. That is wrong. The ratepayers, the ones who pay, are being drowned out by those who are benefiting,” she said.

Sharlaine Oerson, the ward councillor for the area, referred all queries to Madikizela, who said the notion that poor people were criminals was nonsense.

“There is no scientific proof that a government housing development will drop the value of existing houses. We had the same problem in Eerste River, now it is Conifers. How can we ignore the needs of people if we have land?” he asked.

“Every person has a right to object to any project. But there are the needs of people. I have been there myself to address the community’s grievances,” he said.

Asked if he would buy a property next to a low-cost housing development, Madikizela said: “Yes, I would. I don’t see a problem with it. Look at Hout Bay where you have Imizamo Yethu and the expensive houses next to each other.”