Anger at year of living in containers
A CITY initiative aimed at upgrading 7 700 council units on the Cape Flats has hit yet another snag, leaving 24 Manenberg families to endure almost a year of living in shipping containers.
The residents from Dina Court have expressed dismay after the City initially told them it would take six weeks for their flats to be refurbished.
“Some of us have been living in these containers for almost a year now. The City has not come to inform us what is happening,” said Albert Turner, 51, who has been living in Manenberg all his life.
“It’s horrible to endure these conditions.
“We feel like we were dumped here, and it’s our second winter in these containers now. People are suffering.”
Sub-contractor Good Hope Construction ( GHC) had initially downed tools in January, when GHC management said the refurbishments, which began in August, were halted because of gang violence in the area.
GHC – employed by the City’s implementing agent Aecom – had taken over the project from Filcon Projects, to restart in June last year.
Yesterday, Mayco member for human settlements Benedicta van Minnen said Aecom had recently issued an unauthorised “stop work order” and withdrawn all security from the site.
“This prompted the City to bring an urgent court application to set aside the order pertaining to the completion of work on Dina Court,” she said.
Van Minnen said the order was issued shortly before the City refused the implementing agent’s claim for additional time and expenses after the project completion date was frequently extended.
“On Wednesday, the Western Cape High Court issued a draft order instructing the City’s implementing agent for this project to, with immediate effect, secure the safety of the families of Dina Court and their possessions while they are living in the TAV (Temporary Accommodation Village),” Van Minnen said.
A reliable Aecom source, who asked not to be named, told the Cape Times that the implementing agent had been in “laboured talks” with the City for extra funding to complete the project in Manenberg.
“The units at Dina Court have been vandalised and elec- tric cables and water pipes have been stolen. These need to be replaced and it costs extra money,” the source said.
Van Minnen said additional funding approval processes had proved challenging.
Mayor Patricia de Lille said: “More than R200 million has been spent on the Council Rental Unit upgrades and an additional R40m has been approved to pay for the extras incurred by the delays caused through gangsterism, crime and issues related to the viability of the contractor.”
Van Minnen added: “The City remains dedicated to seeing that the last 24 families residing in the temporary accommodation village return to their upgraded homes as soon as possible.”
The matter will be heard in court again on August 26.