Cape Town - Angry activists door-stopped the provincial government’s Department of Transport and Public Works for failing to meet its own deadline in releasing a report on whether it would be financially viable to use the Tafelberg Remedial School in Sea Point for low cost housing.
Department chief director of public private partnerships Joey Pillay on Tuesday conceded “it has taken us more time than was initially anticipated” to finalise the financial model.
The activists - members of Reclaim the City, and Ndifuna Ukwazi - on Tuesday blocked provincial government building entrances in Dorp Street to demandthe immediate release of the report they had expected to be made public on November 11.When Pillay refused to address them, they staged a sit-in of about two hours, refusing everyone from entering or leaving.
“You can all take the afternoon off!,” Reclaim the City member Elizabeth Qoboka shouted at dozens of frustrated employees.
Reclaim the City, with Ndifuna Ukwazi, have halted the transfer of the sale of the property sold to the Phyllis Jowell Jewish Day School earlier this year for R135 million.
Ndifuna Ukwazi’s Emile Engel said: “We have a letter from Pillay dated November 3 that says by the end of last week they would have published that feasibility
study and open the public comment period so people could say whether or not they agreed with the fact that (the government) is giving it over to a private school (but) we haven’t heard anything since Friday and we have been very patient.”
Qoboka, who has been living in Sea Point for 22 years, said she was “very angry and frustrated”.
“We are just here to ask Pillay; where to now’, because we have been waiting and waiting but nobody wants to come and address us.
“We actually came in peace.
“I think they have something to hide, that’s why they didn’t come down to address us.”
Qoboka said she had taken the day off work to protest for the release of the report.
“We can’t afford those luxury apartments (in Sea Point) so we want a place like Tafelberg to call home.
“We don’t want to be thrown to the outskirts like Wolwerivier and Blikkiesdorp.
“We want to live in the city centre because we are also making a contribution to the city,” she said.
Premier Helen Zille’s spokesman, Michael Mpofu, said the protesters were being “disingenuous”.
“We are publishing a notice calling for public comment on the
proposed financial model,” Mpofu said.
“The notices are finalised and are being sent for publication.
“They will appear in the print media, online and at our government offices.
“Once the notice has been published, they (the protesters) are - like anyone else - free to engage with the document and make their submissions.”
The protesters left after police were called.
Cape Argus