City’s housing delivery struggle

INCREASED community protests and disruptions from so-called community development forums is threatening the City’s housing delivery and slows down its R2 billion capital expenditure budget, of which only 4% ha so far been spent in the current financial year.

The City’s portfolio committee on urban development and transport presented a progress expenditure document on the directorate’s finances.

In August, the City council approved a R2bn allocation for the department for the 2018/19 financial year, of which, only R77.6 million has been spent so far.

Acting commissioner for the City’s transport and urban development authority Gershwin Fortuin said increased disruptions by community members and development forums making demands outside the scope of contract conditions during the implementation of projects threatened to undermine planned spending targets.

Last month, the City was granted an urgent interdict against a group of residents who went on the rampage in Morningstar, Durbanville.

A group called the Morningstar Development and Upliftment Initiative prevented elderly beneficiaries, some older than 70, from moving into their state-subsidised homes.

The City has spent about R34.2 million on the Morningstar project, where 166 so-called breaking new ground state-subsidised houses, were constructed.

In Delft, criminal elements disguised as community development forums are blackmailing, intimidating and extorting money from construction companies building houses and infrastructure in townships. These tactics have led to month-long delays in the completion of projects.

Earlier this year, the Stock Road infrastructure project in Philippi, which is part of the roll-out of Phase 2A of the MyCiTi bus service to the Cape Flats, was halted after the contractor was not permitted to return to the site to complete the last bit of work.

Cape Town Civic Alliance secretary Philip Bam said developments were, in most cases, delayed by unhappy communities. “Many promises have been made by the City and its politicians. Now that leads to an expectation, and if people don’t see what they were promised, unhappiness sets in.

“And as soon as a housing development goes up, they make demands. If they protest, the nearest taxi rank or MyCiti bus stop is attcked.

“This is frustration that could have been avoided by fewer promises,” Bam said.