Zille slams government over District 6.
PREMIER Helen Zille has slammed the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform for failing District Six.
She was speaking at the official opening of the District Six Community Day Centre (CDC) yesterday.
“Today is also a sad day, in that we would’ve preferred to be opening this facility, delivered within the province’s health-care mandate, alongside a completed land reform process in District Six – the responsibility of the national government,” Zille said.
She said the hospital should serve as a catalyst for the District Six community, “so we can speed up the redevelopment of District Six as a whole”.
Zille added: The redevelopment should have been completed years ago, but many factors – from community conflict right through to poor contractors not fulfilling their obligations on time. to financial constraints – have really curtailed what should have been done,” Zille said.
Plans are afoot to subpoena Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to appear before the provincial government to answer questions on the land restitution of District Six claimants.
The department said in a statement: “The department is disturbed by the conduct of the DA which is out of step with the participatory nature in which the project was undertaken with the support of the both the office of the Premier in the Western Cape and the office of the mayor of the City of Cape Town.”
The R104 million, four-storey District Six CDC will provide primary health-care services to 70 000 people. – marvin.charles@inl.co.za