By Anel Powell
At least 2 300 households need to be relocated from Hout Bay's Imizamo Yethu "now rather than later", says the City of Cape Town.
If these people are not moved within the next 18 months, it says, a sustainable human settlement solution for the area will be impossible.
Dan Plato, mayoral committee member for housing, said on Tuesday that the "highly sensitive issue" of Imizamo Yethu had been politicised by calls for forced removals.
While forced removals were not part of the City's strategy, he said, the relocation of households from the crowded settlement was imperative.
According to a progress report submitted to the mayoral committee on Tuesday, there are almost 3 000 informal households in Imizamo Yethu, of which more than 1 400 live on the mountain slopes above the settlement.
But the development yield of the area is only 812 erven. A further 750 erven could be used for settlement if the 16 hectares of land zoned for public amenities was used for housing.
This means that there are only 1 572 erven in the area available for development. There are already more than 3 000 households on the site.
"We cannot provide basic necessary services because of the densification of the shacks," Plato said.
He said it was impossible for cars and fire engines to drive between the shacks, which were draped with live and dangerous wires, and that the minimum level of five households per toilet had not been achieved because the City could not access the area to install basic services.
"The whole area smells and it is human beings who must bring up their children in that area. We cannot allow it to deteriorate further."
Plato said the City had negotiated with all political parties in the area about a solution.
"Relocation is part of the agenda. There are no numbers or (indication) of when yet. This depends on the consultative process," Plato said.
Tuesday's progress report suggested that new land for relocation would be available in 18 months.
"Housing opportunities within existing human settlement projects need to be explored to accommodate the households ... needing to be relocated in the interim," read the report.
It recommends that growth within the settlement be "strictly enforced" once relocation began.
But Plato said Imizamo Yethu should not be seen in isolation from other informal settlements in the city.
Ahead of a rally held by the ANC, Cosatu and SACP in Imizamo Yethu on Wednesday, Plato said: "We need to put politics aside and approach (the strategy for Imizamo Yethu) with a clear mind."
Hans Smit, executive director of integrated human settlement, said Imizamo Yethu should be viewed as the city's pilot project in dealing with informal settlements.
A plan for upgrading the city's informal settlements would be submitted to council within the next month.
The City has also agreed to support the EnviroChild proposal of a "green village" for Imizamo Yethu.
It will appoint three qualified project managers "as a matter or urgency" for the delivery of essential services to informal settlements.