Zille dragged into Tafelberg squabble

Cape Town - 160605 - Reclaim The City supporters chalked up murals on the Sea Point Promenade. Reclaim the City is trying to prevent the Western Cape Province from selling four pieces of prime land in the CBD, land they claim that could be used for mixed income affordable housing. Reporter: Zodidi Dano Picture: David Ritchie

Cape Town - 160605 - Reclaim The City supporters chalked up murals on the Sea Point Promenade. Reclaim the City is trying to prevent the Western Cape Province from selling four pieces of prime land in the CBD, land they claim that could be used for mixed income affordable housing. Reporter: Zodidi Dano Picture: David Ritchie

Published Jul 18, 2016

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Cape Town - Western Cape premier Helen Zille has denied anything irregular took place in the proposed sale of the land on which the Tafelberg Remedial School is situated or the land near the school.

Zille was responding to a Sunday newspaper article that named her former adviser, Gary Fisher, as a potential buyer of the land that lobby group Reclaim the City wants to be used for low-cost housing.

Zille said the decision to dispose of the site had not yet been made and no undue influence was exercised in the process to date.

“There has been no undue influence in the decisions around the property to date, nor will there be as the process unfolds. Any decision will be based on our constitutional and legal obligations, including a consideration of the public comment received.”

She said a fair and open process had been followed, to the extent that the public participation process was reopened when a member of the public said she had not been afforded the opportunity to comment.

“The cabinet will make a determination on the property once all the approximate 5 000 submissions have been fairly considered, and in accordance with the constitution and other applicable laws. All the legal advice I have received at every stage of this process will also be available to the cabinet.”

She said Fisher had not been involved when the decision was taken to include the property in the Provincial Regeneration Programme’s mandate or the Department’s initial proposed disposal of the site to cabinet, despite reports that he allegedly purchased two properties in the vicinity of the Tafelberg site while he was working as a public official.

The lobby group said in a statement that the site was important because it was one of the few big pieces of government land left in Sea Point.

Thandeka Sisusa, a domestic worker and member of Reclaim the City said they had been fighting to live and own property in the area where they worked, for many years. “That land was promised to us a long time ago. W e were told that it would be for domestic workers. The thing that makes me angry is that we are not cared for.”

She said she lived in a single room near her employers and had no family in the city, so most of her life outside work was spent between the four walls.

“We sleep and cook in the same room and are not even allowed to have visitors. If you get sick you must be the one to go see your family and I don’t even have family here so it is very difficult for me.”

Thozama Adonisi, a supporter of the movement, said she was disappointed with the news because she thought the government was on their side. “We are furious because we have been fighting for a long time. It has been decades, we have been fighting for this. They promised us that we would be able to build houses.”

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Cape Argus

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