Forest Village takes f lak
Project does not address spacial planning, say opposition parties
ONE of the province’s biggest housing developments, the Forest Village housing project, has come in for flak over allegedly not addressing the issue of spatial integration. The project will provide almost 5 000 housing opportunities once completed.
Good party secretary Brett Herron said: “Forest Village is not justice. Forest Village is not spatial integration. Forest Village is even further away from the city than apartheid-era townships. Forest Village entrenches racial inequality, and spatial and economic injustice.”
Herron said the development represented the DA’s attitude to how public land should be used.
“They are boastful of developing affordable or subsidised housing that is on the periphery of our city. A free house is not an affordable house when it is poorly located.”
Forest Village is the City’s catalytic project which commenced in January 2016, and has a budget allocation of R1.1 billion. This mixed-use development consists of various types of units to cater for beneficiaries at different income levels and with specific needs, such as military veteran, Breaking New Ground (BNG) and Finance Linked Individual Subsidy Programme (FLISP) units.
To date, more than 1 200 units have been handed over. Upon completion in December next year, it is expected to yield a total of 4 820 housing opportunities for the people of the Western Cape.
ANC shadow MEC for Human Settlements Andile Lili said the department should have ensured a move closer to opportunities.
“The residents of Forest Village are much like residents in Khayelitsha, mostly because they are completely away from opportunities such as jobs and transport,” he said.
MEC for Human Settlements Ter tuis Simmers said: “Opposition parties’ response to this development is disingenuous, irresponsible and demonstrates their aim to create ivision among community members.
“There is no appetite from them to unite our people and build one South Africa for all. Instead, they continue to drive these wedges.
“It is this type of irresponsible rhetoric that causes unnecessary tension in communities, which leads to avoidable conflict.”
He said the project’s beneficiaries were residents “who have been on the waiting list for many years, as well as those who are living in backyards. In addition to this, 5% of the development is reserved for the disabled”.
“This confirms our commitment to redressing the past in a fair and open manner, while ensuring that our residents have access to transport in the form of trains, buses and taxis.
“The various roads around the development are direct routes to various employment opportunities, along with all the amenities such as schools, clinics and hospitals.”